Smurfs Movie Alternate Ending
by Black Raider
Summary: "What's happening, Papa?"..."GARGAMEL!"..."You're beloved little papa is about to meet his little blue end." ... Gargamel laughed as he prepared the strike. Patrick came skidding around the corner... alternate ending to the Smurfs. Spoilers for movie! Rated T for violence and some blood
1. Battle at Belvedere Castle

Chapter One

Papa and Smurfette ran as fast as they could but skidded to a halt when they saw the chaos outside.  
Smurfette gasped. "What's happening, Papa?"

Papa could only watch in shock. Smurfs were flying around in a whirlwind. Gargamel had Grouchy captured and was stuffing him in a burlap sack, which was wriggling from the Smurfs already caught inside. Papa glared as Gargamel's cruel laugh rang in his ears.

"No!" He shouted. He ran off towards Gargamel, fury in his eyes. Smurfette trailed behind, watching in shock as Papa grabbed a flying spear and jumped high into the air. "GARGAMEL!" he yelled as he threw he spear. Nosmurf had _ever_ heard Papa so angry…..no, not angry. Furious. The spear flew straight and true, right towards Gargamel's back. It would've hit its mark, but Gargamel turned at the last second, knocking aside the spear.

"Not so fast goody blue shoes!" Gargamel laughed as he grabbed Papa with a blue bolt from the dragon wand. Papa let out a pained cry, vaguely hearing Smurfette scream his name.

Gargamel laughed as he watched the elder Smurf struggle. The sight of Papa in pain was pure bliss for the wizard. "Now, it's time to break their little blue wills."

"No!" Papa grunted as he was pushed just out of reach of the Smurfs.

"Are you watching closely, Smurfs?" Gargamel taunted. On the ground, Vanity and Jokey reached for Papa, but suddenly recoiled in fear at the sight. Papa watched sadly, convulsing every time electricity from the wand ran through his body. "You're beloved little papa is about to meet his little blue end." Gargamel laughed. "Upsy-daisy!" He threw Papa into the air. Clumsy and the other Smurfs shouted and screamed, terrified, as Papa fell. But nothing could be done. Gargamel laughed as he prepared the strike. Patrick came skidding around the corner just as Gargamel launched the fatal blast. He could only watch as the spell was launched.

The blast met its mark, and Papa hit the ground.

Smurfette screamed and Gargamel laughed. Apart from that, everyone was shocked still and silent. Patrick was the first to snap out of it and rush to Papa, but a blast made him stop before he could be fried. He turned to the thrower and found Gargamel, staring at him and making it clear that he was the next target.

"You again?" Gargamel laughed. "Goodbye." He raised the dragon wand above his head. "I'm really..."

Suddenly, Gutsy came flying in on the motor toy. "This ends here!" He declared. "This ends now!"

"...really going to enjoy this." Gargamel started to throw a blast, but Gutsy flew in and snatched the wand.

"Freedom!" Gutsy cried as he flew off with the wand.

"Son of a Smurf!" Gargamel cursed. "Get back here!" Gutsy laughed as he flew farther away.

"Go Gutsy!" Clumsy cheered. The Smurfs joined in, laughing at Gargamel's misfortune.

"Come back here right now with my wand!" Gargamel shouted.

Gutsy laughed again, waving the wand around. But then, the wand hit a motor on the flying toy and was thrown from Gutsy's hand. "Oh no! Crikey!"

Gargamel saw the wand falling and, dropping the sack of Smurfs in the process, reached out to catch it.

Clumsy started running across the roof, reaching for the wand. "I...I got it!"

"Clumsy..." Smurfette whispered in despair.

"So this is how it ends." Hefty groaned.

"Our goose is cooked." Handy agreed. Brainy helped the Smurfs out of the bag, and even they agreed that the situation wasn't looking good.

"I got it! I got it!" Clumsy called as he jumped off the roof. Gargamel reached expectantly for the wand. Clumsy fumbled a bit as he reached for the wand. Gargamel watched as the Smurf and the wand sailed over his head. Clumsy hit the ground, bouncing a little. But he had the wand in his hands when he stopped. "I got it!" He cheered.

Gargamel let out a frustrated yell. "Give me my wand." He started running towards Clumsy. "Give me back my wand!"

Clumsy yelped as he launched a blast. The bolt hit Gargamel and sent him flying, high into the air and crash landing in a pile of recyclables. He grunted and groaned as he stood, glaring towards Belvedere Castle.

"How dare you?" He stumbled out into the street. "How dare you defy the great and powerful Garga-"

HONK!

BAM!

If only he had seen the bus coming. Alas, he did not. Gargamel groaned as he slid down the front of the bus that just hit him.

"SMURFS!" He yelled.

Azrael watched as the bus passed him. "Are you dead?"He meowed. He busted out laughing until he accidently fell backwards, yowling as he hit the ground.

The Smurfs gathered around Clumsy, cheering and chanting his name. They picked him up and tossed him in the air. Grace came running up into Patrick's arms. They looked down at the celebrating Smurfs, smiling.

"Clumsy." Grace sighed. "You're a hero."

"I'm a hero?" Clumsy breathed. Grace and Patrick nodded. Clumsy smiled from ear to ear as he was set down. "I'm a hero!" He cheered, swinging his arms back. He slapped Grouchy ad Gutsy in the face, knocking them to the ground. "Oh, so sorry guys." Clumsy chuckled. "Definitely ruined the moment."

"Clumsy!" Hefty laughed. "You little mook you!" He playfully punched the smaller Smurf's shoulder.

Smurfette hugged Clumsy tight. "You were brilliant!"

Brainy suddenly pushed thru the crowd. "Where's Papa? Did you rescue him?"

Everyone's eyes widened in realization.

"Papa!" Clumsy gasped. He went sprinting off, the other Smurfs trailing behind in fear of what they'd find. Patrick and Grace slowly walked towards Clumsy, also afraid for Papa.

Clumsy was kneeling next to Papa, holding the elder Smurf's head in his lap. Papa had scorch marks on his clothing and burns covering his arms, face and chest. He was still and silent, no matter how hard Clumsy tried to rouse him. The other Smurfs were still and silent. Smurfette started crying into Hefty's shoulder. Grace rested her forehead on Patrick's chest, squeezing her eyes shut. Slowly, Dabbler Smurf came forward and knelt next to Papa. He put an ear to the elder Smurf's mouth and listened. Then he pressed his fingers against Papa's neck. His head snapped up.

"He's alive!" He cried. Everyone stared at Dabbler.

"Are you sure?" Gutsy asked wearily.

"You studied medicine for only a few days." Grouchy noted. "How can you be sure?"

"Because I know what a pulse and breathing is." Dabbler snapped. "And I think I can help him."

"What about the portal?" Brainy asked. "It won't stay open forever."

"Can't we bring Papa with us?" Clumsy asked. His voice was choked and his eyes were red.

"In his condition, he could die in transportation." Dabbler said. "I would have to treat him here."

"We can take him back to our home." Grace offered. "He'd be safer there."

"We have medicine and bandages." Patrick added.

"We won't leave Papa behind." Hefty said firmly.

"There won't be another chance to open the portal for at least a month." Brainy said.

"If Papa stays, so do we." Grouchy stomped his foot.

"You're not being reasonable." Vanity huffed.

"Oh, so I guess you want to abandon Papa, huh?" Grouchy snapped. "Is that what you want, pretty boy?" He gave Vanity a shove.

"Don't shove me!" Vanity growled.

"Like this?" Grouchy asked, shoving Vanity again.

"Touch me again and so help me I'll smurf you into next week!"

"Bring it you smurfin' daisy!"

There would've been quite the fist fight had Gutsy not let out an ear-piercing whistle to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up!" Gutsy snapped. "We can't all stay with Papa. We have a Smurf village to rebuild. So Dabbler and I will stay with Papa and you all go home to rebuild the village. Smurfette, you're in charge. I promise we'll return the very next chance we get; _with_ Papa by our side." Patrick mentally noted that Gutsy never said, "alive".

The Smurfs seemed reluctant, but soon found it was hard to argue with Gutsy. So the Scottish Smurf gingerly held Papa in his arms and led the Smurfs to the waterfall. Hefty came across the dragon wand as they walked and promptly snapped it in half and threw it into a pond.

Everyone was disconsolate and staring worriedly at Papa as they jumped into the portal. But they managed a smile as they waved good-bye to Patrick and Grace. Gutsy still had Papa and Dabbler was beside him. Clumsy was with them as well; Gutsy had tried to steer the accident prone Smurf towards the portal home, but Clumsy was like a stubborn Smurfling. No matter how hard they tried, _no one_ could move Clumsy more than a foot from Papa.

"Hey little hero." Grace said softly as she knelt by him.

Clumsy sighed. "What kind of hero am I? I couldn't save Papa."

"Oh Clumsy." Grace gently scooped up Clumsy and cradled him in her hands. "You can't blame yourself for this. Papa will be fine. You blasted Gargamel far away and your family is safe."

Clumsy glanced towards the portal. "Yeah, I guess that makes me a hero."

Grace laughed softly. She leaned down and kissed Clumsy's head before setting him back down next to Gutsy. The Scottish Smurf offered a soft smile, but Clumsy's eyes were downcast.

As Narrator Smurf jumped into the portal, the last Smurf to jump, Patrick, Grace, Elway, Clumsy, Dabbler, and Gutsy turned to walk away. As they made their way down the path, Elway suddenly turned, giving a deep woof. Everyone turned to see a couple Smurfs running after them: Brainy, Hefty, Grouchy, and Smurfette to be specific.

"What the blinking flip are you doing?" Gutsy demanded. "You were all supposed to go home."

"We didn't feel comfortable leaving Papa behind." Smurfette said.

"I thought I told you that you were in charge." Gutsy half-growled.

"Farmer's taking care of it." Hefty assured. "He's taken care of the village on his own before and he said he'd be happy to smurf it again."

"All the Smurfs agreed that a few more of us should be with Papa when he wakes up." Grouchy insisted.

"Oh for the love of Smurf." Dabbler groaned. "Brainy, go back to the waterfall and smurf the blue moon spell. All of you get back home."

"Not without Papa." Hefty said firmly.

"We all agreed." Brainy added. "No Smurf left behind."

"But you-" Dabbler started.

"Come on then." Gutsy urged. "We have to get Papa someplace safe."

Dabbler stared. "But-"

"Come on, guys." Patrick urged. "Let's just get home and get Papa comfortable."

Dabbler looked a little peeved. But he agreed and the little group of Smurfs followed their human friends and their Basset hound. A few minutes later, Patrick's phone rang.

"It's Odile." He groaned as he answered. "Hey Odile."

"Patrick, I just wanted to say 'thank you'." Odile looked up at the still blue moon. "Finally someone has given me what I want." She smiled as she hung up, happily walking from her party.

Patrick looked at Grace. "I think I'm _not_ fired."

Grace smiled. "Wow." They smiled as they kept walking. "So that's a new job..."

"Mmhmm." Patrick nodded.

"New baby..."

Patrick smiled.

"Some interesting new friends."

Patrick laughed and looked down at the Smurfs at their feet. He gently put a hand on Grace's pregnant stomach.

"Congratulations, Patrick." Clumsy said. "Looks like I didn't screw up too badly that time."

"Guess not." Patrick agreed. "Thanks Clumsy."

Grace smiled. "So, Patrick, if you really want a bigger place-"

"Bigger?" Patrick scoffed. "You kidding? Then we'd be further apart."

Smurfette smirked knowingly. The Smurfs smiled as Grace and Patrick hugged.

"Oh Grace." Patrick sighed. "I smurf you."

Grace laughed a little and they kissed. Clumsy grimaced. "Yuck."

"You'll understand when you're older." Smurfette grinned.

The group got to the apartment and Grace quickly made a little area for them in the living room. She grabbed washcloths for pillows and a hand knit blanket. Gutsy, with the help of Patrick, got to the couch and gently laid Papa on the towel that was set out. Dabbler shooed the other Smurfs away and got to work. Patrick ran off and returned with the first aid kit. The other Smurfs waited by the window while Dabbler and Patrick worked. Grace joined the Smurfs.

"He'll be alright." Grace said softly. "I bet Dabbler is a great doctor."

"He's pretty good." Grouchy nodded.

"For someone that studied medicine for only a week." Hefty added with a slight chuckle.

"Is Papa really gonna be ok?" Clumsy asked worriedly. His eyes were still pink from crying.

"He'll be fine." Smurfette nodded. "He's been hit with worse, right?"

"Can't say." Gutsy shrugged. "But I know he's a fighter."

"Papa's always taken care of us." Brainy said in his lecturing tone. "He's raised all one hundred of us since we were babies. And he always will because he-"

"Brainy, if you don't smurf up I'll smurf you out of this mushroom and to the ground below." Hefty growled.

Brainy looked sheepish. "Sorry."

Grace couldn't help but laugh. The Smurfs had to grin. But they jumped when they heard a sickening crack. Their heads whipped around to the couch as Patrick stood up. He had a look on his face, like he was about to throw up.

"What's wrong?" Clumsy asked worriedly.

"Turns out Papa dislocated a shoulder." Patrick grimaced as he sat beside Grace. "Dabbler just reset it. He's bandaging up Papa right now."

"How does he look?" Smurfette asked.

Patrick sighed. "I'm not a doctor. Your guess is as good as mine."

Brainy looked close to fainting, but Clumsy supported him. Grace went to set up some makeshift beds while the Smurfs and Patrick talked. They spoke in hushed tones, not wanting to distract Dabbler while he worked. It didn't alleviate any of the worry that invaded their minds. Clumsy kept glancing at the couch, repeating the motion so much that Gutsy had to pull Clumsy closer to the window, talking to him to divert his attention. It didn't stop the accident-prone smurf from keeping his eyes on the ground.

After maybe an hour of working, Dabbler finally came up, wiping his forehead with his hat.

"How is he?" Clumsy asked quickly. He would've run towards Papa had Gutsy not held him back.

"I would say he looks half mummy." Dabbler sighed. "But, frankly, I've never seen a mummy so I can't be sure."

Grouchy rolled his eyes. "I hate mummies."

"Is he still alive?" Hefty asked impatiently.

"He's breathing fine and his pulse is steadily getting stronger." Dabbler nodded. "But I want to set up around the clock watch. If anything happens, I want to know about it. Even if it's something small." The Smurfs nodded in understanding.

"Can we see him?" Smurfette asked.

"He probably won't wake up, but sure." Dabbler led them to the couch where Papa lay. The red-clad Smurf was still, minus the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. At the same time, he had bandages around both arms and wrapped around his torso, from his hips to his shoulders. A damp cloth had been put over his forehead. He had a peaceful look on his face.

"Just watch his breathing and his heart rate." Dabbler instructed. "To check his pulse, put your thumb here on his wrist." He showed the smurfs. "If anything happens, even if you're unsure of it, wake me up. I won't yell or anything." He walked over to the makeshift beds and snuggled down in the one closest to Papa. The other Smurfs did the same; Gutsy took the first watch. Patrick lingered behind. He stared at Papa, noting how still he was. In all honesty, Patrick was barely hanging on to the hope that Papa would make it.

"Sleep well guys." He said. Gutsy offered a smile as Patrick walked off to bed. When the human had disappeared, Gutsy turned his gaze towards Papa, his smile disappearing. He pulled the blanket farther over Papa to hide the bandages. Now he truly looked like he was just sleeping, not half-dead. Gutsy felt a smile creep on him, but tears were also forming in his eyes. Embarrassed, though nobody could see him, Gutsy wiped his eyes. He resumed his watch on Papa, praying that by morning Papa would be awake.

"Goodnight Papa." Gutsy whispered.


	2. New Home, New People

**Chapter Two**

The next morning, much to everyone's dismay, Papa was still showing no sign of waking up. No one had reported anything last night, so there was at least a little good news. But the look on Dabbler's face said everything: Papa wasn't looking much better. Breakfast was served, but no one really ate. Grouchy sourly noted that they were still low on smurfberries. Brainy was the one to put salt on the wound; he reminded everyone that a blue moon couldn't be smurfed again for at least another two, maybe three weeks. If Hefty wasn't so depressed, he would've kicked Brainy off the table.

"So what do we do?" Smurfette asked.

"We need a plan." Brainy said. "We're going to be here for a while. We need to smurf up some food to sustain us."

"Can't you eat our food?" Grace asked.

"We could." Hefty nodded. "But it won't work for long."

"Why not?" Patrick asked.

"Smurfs have a specific smurf diet." Brainy said in his lecturing tone. "Our digestive systems are meant for only a few certain foods otherwise we would smurf."

Patrick raised an eyebrow. "Someone translate please."

"Smurfs can only eat a few types of food." Clumsy explained. "We can eat regular human food, but if we eat too much of it, especially in one sitting, then we get sick smurfily bad."

"And in some cases, we die." Gutsy added. "Either from starvation or too much human food."

"Oh dear." Grace sighed. "Can we find your kind of food here?"

"Probably." Dabbler nodded. "Some of the foods we like are human foods. Like bread."

"We also like sarsaparilla." Clumsy noted.

"Ok." Grace nodded in thought. "So how about we make a list of foods you eat and I'll go shopping today."

"Also, I think we should look for some medicine." Dabbler noted. "Or something to keep Papa healthy. We can't feed him or give him water if he's unconscious. He needs nutrients or all this work to treat his wounds will be for nothing."

"Sounds like he needs an IV drip." Patrick said.

"What in smurf's name is an IV drip?" Gutsy asked.

"Obviously it is a special method for making potions." Brainy scoffed. "It must be too advanced for your minds. But not for my smurfy mind that can understand-"

Brainy screamed as he flew across the room, courtesy of Hefty's foot.

"Actually, an IV drip is something hospitals use to keep patients hydrated." Patrick explained. "It gives them nutrients so they can survive while they're knocked out."

"Will it help Papa?" Dabbler asked.

"It'll keep him alive while we treat his wounds." Patrick explained. He looked at his watch. "I gotta go. Still have work." He stood and ran off to his room.

"Well, how about I get dressed and you guys make a list?" Grace suggested. "I'll go out and get some groceries." The Smurfs voiced their agreement and Grace went to change. Smurfette, Clumsy, and Grouchy started their list of smurf foods while Dabbler, Gutsy, and Hefty went to check on Papa. Brainy was still trying to untangle himself from the yarn he had landed in. When Grace was ready, Smurfette and Dabbler opted to go with her; Smurfette to get some fresh air to clear her mind and Dabbler to search for medicine to help Papa's burns. Everyone else was staying at the apartment, watching over Papa and trying to kill some time. Patrick hurried to work, giving a quick good-bye to the Smurfs before leaving. After an hour of being in an empty apartment, the remaining Smurfs felt quite bored.

"I smurf something pink." Hefty droned.

"The flower." Gutsy said in a monotone voice.

"Correct." Hefty sighed. "Clumsy, your turn." When they heard snoring, Gutsy and Hefty turned to find their accident-prone friend had fallen asleep. Hefty elbowed Clumsy, jolting him awake.

"Sorry." Clumsy yawned. "I didn't smurf much sleep last night."

"Why's that, laddie?" Gutsy asked.

"No reason." Clumsy shrugged. "Just nightmares."

"Wanna talk about 'em?" Hefty suggested. "That sounds ten times better than playing 'I Smurf'."

"They're not very smurfy." Clumsy sighed.

"Talk about it, laddie." Gutsy encouraged.

"I hate nightmares." Grouchy said as he and Brainy climbed up to join them.

"It's a fact that talking about your problems makes you feel better." Brainy said.

"We can't fix what we don't know is broken." Hefty added.

Clumsy looked around at each Smurf, and he knew that they weren't going to leave him alone. "It's the same thing every time. I'm at home, in the village, with all the other Smurfs...

_DREAM SEQUENCE_

_Clumsy laughed as he kicked the ball back towards Farmer. The country Smurf gave the ball a good boot with his foot, sending the ball flying through the air, high over everysmurf's head, landing in a basket of smurfberries Greedy was carrying. Smurfberry juice and squished smurfberries sprayed in his face. Everysmurf laughed at their now red-faced companion._

_"Sorry Greedy!" Farmer laughed._

_"No problem Farmer!" Greedy chuckled as he licked smurfberry juice off his lips. "This is a whole new way to eat smurfberries!" There was another round of laughter._

_"I think the ball rolled over there!" Clumsy said as he pointed into the forest. "I'll go get it!" He went running off, tripping over his own feet as he went. Soon, he found the red cloth ball resting under a bush. He grabbed it and turned around to run back to the others. But when he did, Clumsy was met with a peculiar sight. The trees and grass of the forest had been replaced with stone walls and a stone balcony. The smurf ball was now a spear. Clumsy walked out to see Gargamel capturing Smurfs with the dragon wand and stuffing them into a sack. He was hardly aware of dropping the spear as he stared at the scene in horror. Suddenly, Clumsy was on the ground just twenty feet from Gargamel. The wizard had Papa caught in a bolt from the wand. _

_"Are you watching closely, Smurf?" Gargamel laughed at Clumsy."You're beloved little Papa is about to meet his little blue end."_

_As Gargamel spoke, Papa was held just a foot away from Clumsy. Papa's eyes were full of fear, full of pain. Clumsy tried to reach out and grab him, but no matter what he did, Papa was always just out of reach. Like an invisible force was holding him on a short leash, taunting him. _

_"Let him go!" Clumsy shouted, tears in his eyes and streaming down his face. "Please! Just leave him alone!"_

_Suddenly, the tendrils around Papa's chest glowed brighter. Papa cringed, gritting his teeth in pain. His eyes were half open as he stared at the Smurf before him._ _Clumsy kept trying to take Papa's hand, but their hands remained inches from each other._

_"C-Clumsy..." Papa's voice was just a whisper. _

_Suddenly, Papa was thrown into the air and blasted to the ground. He lay there, motionless. Clumsy rushed to his side, desperately trying to wake him. When Gargamel's laugh rang out, Clumsy's head jerked up, only for his vision to be clouded with a bright, electric blue light._

_END DREAM SEQUENCE_

"I wake up after that." Clumsy finished. "I constantly looked over at Papa to see if he was still breathing. When I tried to go to sleep again, the nightmare came back."

"Every time?" Hefty clarified.

"Every time." Clumsy nodded. "I can't stop worrying about Papa."

"We're all worried." Grouchy noted. "But none of us had nightmares like that."

"We didn't know." Gutsy said, patting Clumsy on the back. "But look at Papa." Everyone glanced at said Smurf. His chest was still rising and falling slowly. "He's still breathing. He's still alive and we're all going home when he gets better."

Clumsy looked up into Gutsy's eyes, tears threatening to fall. "How can you be sure?"

"Honestly, I can't be sure." Gutsy admitted. "But we can never give up hope. Losing hope is truly losing the battle." Clumsy smiled, nodding a little. Gutsy wiped away a stray tear and spread out his arms. "Smurf hug?" Clumsy laughed a little and nodded, wrapping his arms around Gutsy's chest and burying his face in the crook of the Scottish Smurf's neck. Gutsy pulled him in close. Grouchy, Brainy, and Hefty joined the hug, each one of them holding back tears.

Later, when Grace had returned with Smurfette and Dabbler, there was some good news. Grace had managed to find proper smurf food; at least enough to hold them over and not make them sick until they could go home. Smurfette was especially excited to show off the sarsaparilla they found. Unfortunately, the only other "smurf food" to be found was bread and various vegetables that were usually grown in the village.

"Has Papa woken up yet?" Smurfette asked hopefully.

"'Fraid not, lass." Gutsy said sadly.

Dabbler gave a quick checkup. "Stable. Or as stable as he can be. We still need to figure out how we're going to feed and water him when he's out cold."

"He won't eat or drink anything?" Grace asked worriedly. "Not even soup?"

"Tried." Dabbler sighed. "He won't swallow. And I'm worried it'll go down his windpipe."

"We need that drip thing Patrick was talking about." Brainy said.

As if on cue, Patrick came through the door. "Hey everyone! I have a surprise!"

"It's not like Jokey's surprises, is it?" Clumsy asked worriedly.

Patrick raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Jokey Smurf's surprises usually explode." Hefty said dismissively. "What's the surprise?"

"I have someone that can help us." Patrick announced. "She's a vet." He looked behind him. "You coming or not?"

"This suitcase is heavier than you think!" A girl's voice called from the front door. "That and I'm carrying my backpack and my medical bag!" There was a sudden yelp followed by a _THUD!_

"Hold on!" Patrick called as he ran out.

"What's a vet?" Smurfette asked.

"A doctor specifically for animals." Grace explained.

"But Papa's a Smurf." Brainy said. "Are Smurfs classified as animals in this world?"

Before Grace could answer, Patrick returned with a suitcase in hand and a girl right behind him carrying a backpack and a small, black duffel. The girl was sixteen, a little shorter than Grace, with wavy/curly brown hair that went down to her waist. She had deep, sapphire blue eyes sparkling behind her rectangular, black framed glasses. She wore camouflage cargo pants, a black T-shirt, combat boots and a leather jacket. A red bandana was on her head, keeping her hair away from her face.

"Everyone, this is my niece, who will be staying with us for the summer." Patrick introduced. "Her name is Mirabelle."

"No one calls me Mirabelle except my mom." The girl said. She was currently rummaging through her backpack, and therefore not paying much attention. "Everyone calls me Mira. Patrick, you do realize that Grace knows me?"

"Not talking to Grace." Patrick said. "Remember what I said about my other friends you need to prepare for?"

"Yes." Mira nodded as she looked up. "But why did you tell me to be prepared?" She froze when she saw the Smurfs. She continued to stare at them and they stared back for a long moment.

"Surprise." Patrick said in a singsong voice. Grace smiled a little nervously. The Smurfs waved happily yet sheepishly.

Mira was still for a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them a few times. "Why do I see little blue people?"

"Mira, these are the Smurfs." Grace introduced. She pointed to each Smurf as she said their names. "Clumsy, Gutsy, Brainy, Smurfette, Grouchy, Hefty, and Dabbler."

"There's also Papa." Clumsy piped up. "He's in the other room."

Mira blinked. "Someone pinch me. I have to be dreaming."

"It's not a dream." Patrick assured.

Mira sighed, setting down her bags. "Ok, before I run out of here and sleep on the streets, please explain to me _exactly _what's going on here."

Patrick and Grace had Mira sit down as they explained everything with the help of the Smurfs. Everything from how the Smurfs got to New York through the portal to the battle at Belvedere Castle. Mira listened carefully, but asked for tea halfway through the story "to calm her nerves". When they came to Papa's condition, she paid a little more attention, but the deadpan look on her face wasn't promising.

When they had finished, Mira asked bitterly, "You asked me to bring my medical supplies to treat a mythical creature from my mom's stories?"

Patrick bit his lip. _I may have touched a nerve there. _"Mira, you're the only doctor I know that would look at these guys and not run screaming."

"I'm not doing it." Mira said, shaking her head. "I came here because my dad's on a business trip and doesn't want to leave me home alone. I'm here as a house guest and am happy to help around the house as payment. But I'm only a vet; not even officially. I take care of dogs, cats, mice, reptiles, and the occasional fish. But I do not operate on mythical creatures."

"Mira, they're not mythical." Grace assured. "They're real. And one of them is hurt and needs your help. For someone your age, you're a great vet. And we need your skills."

"Even if I was willing to do it, what could I do?" Mira asked. "I can perform basic surgeries at the most. I don't know the anatomy of these guys. I wouldn't know how severe the condition is. And I would have to know the severity of the situation in order to give a diagnostic. That's only if I was actually going to go through with this."

"Please listen to us." Grace pleaded. "We need your help."

"I will not kid myself by giving a little blue humanoid a checkup." Mira scoffed.

"Mira, I know this is hard to believe." Patrick said. "I get that. But your mom-"

"Don't you _dare _say _anything_ about my mom." Mira growled. "I don't care what you were going to say; you know _nothing _about her."

Before Patrick could speak, Clumsy came forward and touched Mira's hand. "Miss Mira, please. Papa Smurf needs your help. We don't know what to do and if you don't help, I'm scared Papa's gonna die."  
Mira stared down at the little Smurf. His words caught her off guard. Flashes of memories started appearing before her eyes and disappearing the next moment, like lightning strikes. Plus, how could she say no to those big blue eyes that were steadily filling with genuine tears? She sighed.

"Where is he?" She asked.

Patrick led Mira to the couch, Grace and the Smurfs following. Everyone sat around the couch and watched. Mira seated herself at the foot of Papa's makeshift bed and pulled out a stethoscope from her bag. She moved the blanket and placed the scope end on Papa's chest. She listened closely to his breathing and heartbeat. She opened his eyes and checked his pupils. She checked for broken bones. Dabbler reported that he had been unconscious since last night. Mira nodded in thought and took out some scissors. She cut away Papa's bandages and her eyes widened a little at the sight of the burns. She inspected every one of them, gently lifting Papa to look at the ones on his back. When she was done, she redressed the wounds and pulled out a clear bottle, a tube, a thin needle, and a bag of clear liquid.

"Thank heavens he's small." Mira said. "He won't need as much as a dog or a cat. But I need to hang this on something."

"The lamp?" Grace offered. Mira looked up at said lamp and nodded. She attached the tube to the bottle and the needle to the free end of the tube. She pulled out a clamp and tightened it on the tube. She poured the clear liquid into the bottle and hung the bottle onto a bar on the lamp.

"What's that for?" Gutsy asked wearily.

"This is the IV drip." Mira explained. "I have to insert the needle into a vein to get the stuff into his system. This way he's getting nutrients he needs and we don't run the risk of him vomiting if we tried to feed him." Mira gently held Papa's wrist and squeezed it until she found the vein in his hand. The Smurfs' eyes widened a little when she put the needle into the vein and secured it with a piece of tape. She loosened the clamp on the tube and allowed the liquid to drip down into Papa's hand.

"The IV will sustain him while he's knocked out." Mira explained. "When he wakes up, we'll see how his stomach handles food."

"Great." Grouchy huffed. "Now what's the bad news?"

"His burns and cuts are pretty bad." Mira said. "He's a bit feverish; if I hadn't cleaned his wounds, they might've gotten infected. I don't know what he got hit with, but it can't be good. I'll watch him tonight to see if he reacts well to the IV solution."

"Thank you, lassie." Gutsy sighed in relief. "This means a lot to us."

"You owe me big time." Mira snapped at Patrick. She stowed away her med supplies. "I'll be awake for the rest of the night, so all of you can sleep. I'll take a nap tomorrow morning."

"Can we stay out here with Papa?" Brainy asked. "I think we'd all feel smurfier if we were closer. You know, in case you need our help."

"I highly doubt I'll need help with something you don't understand." Mira scoffed. "But...as long as you stay out of my way, I suppose you could camp out here in the living room."

Everyone seemed a little more relaxed. It was late at night when everyone went to bed. Mira remained on the couch to keep an eye on Papa while the Smurfs made their beds on the coffee table and the chairs. Mira pulled out her laptop and started typing away. When she noticed the Smurfs still weren't asleep, she started humming softly. Though they fought to stay awake, the gentle lullaby cast its spell, and the Smurfs soon nodded off into their dreams. Mira smirked in triumph. The lullaby, however, was now stuck in her head, and she found herself singing it. It was a Gaelic lullaby, one her half-Scottish mother used to sing to her when she couldn't sleep. Mira had memorized the English translation, but the Gaelic words sounded much more beautiful.

Mira looked over at Papa and noticed his breathing had gotten quicker. He was twitching and had a look of pain on his face. _A nightmare no doubt. _Mira thought. She leaned in closer to Papa and sang the lullaby, pulling the blanket a little farther over Papa's body. By the end of the song, Papa had relaxed. Mira felt a smile on her lips, but then she frowned and sighed.

"What are you doing, Mira?" She whispered.


	3. Of Clumsy and Mira

**Chapter Three**

Three days passed. Three long, slow, agonizing days. Three days of Papa still not waking up with Mira and Dabbler constantly working on him. Three days of the Smurfs trying to adjust to their new lives. Three days of occasional arguments among the Smurfs with topics ranging from Papa's condition to how they were going to ration the last of their smurfberries.

Mira wasn't faring much better. As the Smurfs quickly realized, the teenager wasn't too fond of them. Actually, she flat-out hated them. Whenever they were around, her mood was always sour, no matter what was happening before. She was checking on Papa periodically, and every time she finished her check she had a look on her face that made everyone nervous. Whenever she wasn't eating or checking on Papa, she was usually outside on the fire escape. Gutsy, when he went out to check on her, noticed that she was writing. Everyone was curious as to what exactly she was writing, even Grace and Patrick. But when Brainy tried to read what she wrote, he almost ended up as a smudge on the pavement.

"I just don't understand." Hefty sighed as they talked during lunch. "She's a great help with Papa and all, but she acts like were rats from the swamp."

"What the smurf is wrong with her?" Grouchy grumbled.

"It's kind of complicated." Grace explained. "Mira has these things that trigger bad memories. When that happens, she gets in a foul mood."

"What triggers?" Dabbler asked. "What memories?"

"She can explain that." Grace said. "I'm not the best person to talk about it. It's a very serious and touchy topic."

Gutsy glanced over at Mira, currently out on the fire escape eating a sandwich. He stared for a minute, fascinated by the human girl. Everything about Mira made his mind explode with questions. Apart from Mira's apparently dark and mysterious past, Gutsy couldn't help but feel like he knew her from somewhere. Her brown hair that waved lightly in the wind; her daring and strong personality; especially her eyes, those glittering cerulean eyes that Gutsy knew he had seen on someone else. Someone he knew personally. Mira looked an awful lot like-

"Gutsy!"

Gutsy jumped. "What?"

"We were asking about what we were gonna do about Gargamel." Smurfette said.

"Gargamel?" Gutsy asked. "I thought Clumsy smurfed that wizard miles away from us."

"I did." Clumsy nodded proudly.

"But Gargamel won't be gone forever." Brainy noted. "That blast didn't kill him."

"If he finds out some of us are still here, we're good as smurfed." Hefty added.

"I think if you stay here, you'll be safe." Grace offered. "Patrick and I will take care of you until there's another chance to make the blue moon come."

"That's very kind of you." Gutsy said. "But Gargamel's still very dangerous."

"I think Grace is right." Smurfette put in. "Gargamel doesn't know we're still here. For all we know, he's off trying to find a way back home. As long as he never finds us, we'll be safe. For now."

* * *

"Stupid Smurfs. Always getting in my way. Curse that little Smurf that used my wand against me. I'll get them, Azrael, just wait and see. I'll destroy them all. With Papa out of the way, they will be easy pickings. That ridiculous Smurf that took my wand will be first. Then I'll trap the others and steal every drop of essence in their little blue bodies."

Azrael rolled his eyes as his master ranted on. "Merow mow."

"I am not going crazy." Gargamel snapped. "One more word about my rant and you won't get any Smurfs for dinner."

Azrael looked up expectantly. "Meow?"

"Of course you can eat them." Gargamel nodded with an evil grin. "After I extract their essence, they'll be useless to me anyhow. You can eat them so I don't have to deal with the extra bodies."

"Meow merow?" Azrael asked.

"I don't care what you do with their clothes." Gargamel said dismissively. "We'll use them as a fire starter or something. Now come, Azrael; we must get back to BelVeeDeRay Castle. I'm almost positive the Smurf essence is still there."

The shabby-robed wizard pushed his way through a crowd of people his orange feline friend close behind him. Gargamel reached into his sleeve and fingered the rod inside, chuckling evilly to himself.

Dragon wands certainly fix easily.

* * *

"Aunt Grace, I'm going out!" Mira called. "I'm going downtown!"

"Be back by dinner please!" Grace called from the kitchen.

"Why are you leaving?" Clumsy asked worriedly. "What if Papa needs your help?"

"That guy Dabbler is a doctor, right?" Mira said. "He can take care of it."

"But you won't be gone for long, right?"

"Why are you so worried?"

"Because you said we couldn't help you with something we don't understand."

Mira suppressed a chuckle. She did say that. "Clumsy, you need to get out more. Why don't you come with me to the mall?"

"Best not." Grace intervened. "We like to keep them hidden from other humans."

"He'll be fine." Mira assured. "I'll keep him in my tiny backpack or on my shoulder."

"Mira, I really don't think that's a good idea." Grace said. "They'll be safer here."

"Aunt Grace, some of them, specifically this one-" Mira gestured to Clumsy. "-need some fresh air. They have to get away from the depressing aura of this apartment."

Grace looked back and forth between Mira and Clumsy. "Just take Clumsy. I'll go out with the other Smurfs later."

"Thanks Aunt Grace." Mira said happily. She scooped up Clumsy and set him in her small backpack before slinging it over her shoulder. "Just stay in there for now. You can peek out and look around once we're moving."

"Thanks." Clumsy nodded.

"See ya by dinner!" Mira said as she walked out.

Grace smiled. "You know, Mira's right. You guys could use a day out in the fresh air. You can't constantly be cooped up in here."

"We won't leave Papa." Smurfette said.

"Mira can watch him and we'll go out." Grace offered. "But you guys have been cooped up in here for three days. We can go to the park or something."

"I think she's right." Hefty agreed. "It's hard to get good exercise in here. A run through a park would be great."

"I like it." Gutsy agreed. "We could all use a break." The remaining Smurfs agreed.

"Alright then." Grace nodded. "So we'll go when Mira and Clumsy get back."

* * *

Clumsy stared in wonder as Mira walked thru downtown New York City. There were people and shops everywhere. Add the clear weather and it was an overall perfect day. Mira walked away from the crowd and leaned against a wall in an alley. She pulled off her bandana and undid her braid, letting her hair flow freely and tying her bandana back on her head. Then she gently lifted Clumsy from her bag and rested him on her shoulder.

"You can stay here while we shop." Mira said. "If you need to hide, use my hair."

"Sounds smurfy." Clumsy nodded. He concealed himself in Mira's chocolate brown hair and left a little room for him to see. Mira started walking, going from store to store and looking at clothes and jewelry. Clumsy gave his input by talking in Mira's ear. Mira found herself smiling and actually enjoying Clumsy being with her. It had been a long time since Mira had company when she went shopping. She didn't have many close friends at school. Those few that were close were on vacation. Then again, the last time Mira had company while shopping was when-

"Whoa! Look at that!"

Mira jumped a little. "Look at what?"

"Turn to the right." Clumsy directed. "Little more...little more...wait too far...left...left...stop!"

Mira stared. In front of her was a pretty little shirt. "It's really cute."

"Try it on!" Clumsy encouraged. "It'll look great!"

Mira somehow found it hard to argue with him. So she took the shirt from the rack and journeyed to the dressing room. Clumsy was set down on a chair and turned to give Mira privacy. When she was ready, he turned around and gawked.

The shirt was sleeveless with wide straps. The collar, belt, and hem of the shirt were royal blue. The belt hit just below Mira's chest. Below the belt, the shirt was loose like a skirt, going down so it covered some of Mira's jeans. The entire shirt was soft sky blue with silver designs on the chest area.

"That looks great!" Clumsy applauded.

"Shhh!" Mira half-giggled. "I don't think everyone needs to know you're in here."

"But it looks great!" Clumsy said. "You should get it."

"I don't know." Mira said uncertainly. "When would I where this?"

"Anytime!" Clumsy said.

Mira chuckled. She checked the tag. "It's on sale for pretty cheap." Mira took off the shirt and pulled on her usual black T-shirt. She set Clumsy back on her shoulder and gathered the shirt and her bags. She paid for the shirt and hummed a little as she walked out.

"Successful shopping trip accomplished." Mira said gleefully. "Red faux leather jacket, arrowhead necklace, new laces for my boots, and a darling top picked out by a Smurf."

"You're welcome." Clumsy said.

"You hungry?"

"Starving."

"Then I know exactly where we can go."

Half an hour later, Clumsy and Mira were sitting under a tree next to a pond in Central Park. Mira swallowed another spoonful of frozen yogurt, enjoying the cold feeling traveling down her chest and into her stomach. Clumsy did the same. Thankfully, Mira used a taste test spoon, so it was small enough for him to use and not get frozen yogurt all over him. They learned that the hard way.

"This is really fun." Clumsy said.

"Yeah." Mira nodded. "I haven't had this much fun in years."

"Really?" Clumsy asked. "Years?"

"Yep." Mira nodded.

"When was the last time you had this much fun?"

Mira's face fell. The sweet taste of the frozen yogurt went sour in her mouth. Clumsy noticed. "I-I'm sorry. That wasn't a very smurfy question."

"No, it's alright." Mira waved it off. "Few people know what makes me uncomfortable."

"Sorry."

"Don't be." Mira forced a smile. "The last time I had this much fun was when my mom was around."

"Your mom?" Clumsy asked.

"Yeah." Mira nodded, staring across the water at a mother goose and her goslings. "She was kind, fun, loving, and basically my best friend in the whole world."

"Did she go on that trip with your papa?" Clumsy asked innocently.

Mira's eyes traveled to the ground. "No..."

Clumsy stopped asking questions. Mira's cell suddenly rang and she answered it hurriedly. "Hello? Hey Aunt Grace. Yeah I know it's getting kinda late. I'll be back soon. I just wanted to walk through Central Park. I'll be home in thirty minutes tops. Thanks. Bye." She hung up.

"Are we heading back?" Clumsy asked.

"Yep." Mira nodded. "But first, we're going to Belvedere Castle."

"Why?" Clumsy asked as Mira stood, grabbing her shopping bag.

"You said you fought this Gargamel freak there." Mira explained as they walked. "I wanna see the aftermath of the battlefield."

"I don't think-"

"Come on!"

Mira scooped up Clumsy and went running towards the castle.

"Hey!"

Mira spun around and froze. Clumsy peered from a gap in her hair to see a teenage boy coming toward them. He had spiky blond hair and bright hazel eyes. He wore jeans and a red T-shirt with an eagle on it.

"Hey Derek." Mira stammered a little.

The boy, Derek, came up and smiled. "Hey. Mary, right?"

"Mira."

"Right." Derek waved it off. "I saw you shopping earlier. Leather jacket, red with large pockets. Good choice."

"Thanks." Mira smiled, her cheeks turning red.

"I was thinking that a fashionable lady like you should hang with an equally fashionable boy."

"In what universe does a fashion designer like Ralph Lauren want to hang out with me?"

Derek laughed. "You're funny. I like that. What're you doing tomorrow night?"

"Oh, nothing." Mira shrugged. "There's nothing to do at home."

"Great." Derek nodded. "I'll pick you up at 3."

"Great." Mira agreed. Derek wrote his number down and gave it to Mira. He walked off. Mira sighed happily.

"Uh, Mira?" Clumsy spoke up. "You're supposed to help Papa."

"Huh?" Mira asked. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go."

She resumed her run to Belvedere Castle. Once there, she climbed up where Clumsy directed her. She gazed at the battlefield in surprise and amusement. The ground was littered with various items like golf balls, tiny spears, pencils, egg shells, cosmetics supplies, and what looked like the remnants of a bowling ball. A frying pan on a rope hung from the roof. It was quite the chaotic scene.

"This is cool." Mira said. She climbed over the railing and made her way towards the door.

"What are you doing?" Clumsy asked fearfully.

"Checking the place out." Mira said. "This place is cool. And Smurfette said something about an essence extractor. I'm great with machines and I wanna check it out."

"Mira, we should go back." Clumsy urged. "We shouldn't be here."

"Would you just look at this place?" Mira said happily as she entered the basement where the essence extractor was. "This machine is awesome!"

"Don't touch it." Clumsy pleaded.

"It'll be fine." Mira assured as she set Clumsy down on the conveyer belt. She proceeded to look all around at the machine, tinkering with parts and tapping various objects with a wrench she found on the floor. Clumsy walked down the conveyer belt, looking at each stage of the extraction. As he did, he had terrifying fantasies about what had happened to Papa while he was down here.

"Papa was put through this." Clumsy said sadly. "He was the first one because he wanted to protect us."

Mira looked over at Clumsy. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Clumsy shrugged. "Papa's very brave and strong. He would do anything for us."

Mira smiled, knowing the feeling. She noticed something on the machine. "What does this do?" She grabbed a lever and pulled it. Suddenly, the machine started up. The conveyer belt started moving and things clinked and whirred on the machine. Clumsy tripped and landed in a chair. The chair went up into a part of the machine that looked like a cotton candy machine. Clumsy winced and grunted in pain as the sand in the machine blew up and rubbed mercilessly against his skin. Every grain that touched his skin turned blue and was sucked into the machine.

"Turn it off!" Clumsy shouted.

Mira pulled the lever the other way and ran to help Clumsy. "You ok?"

"Fine." Clumsy sighed. "That sand hurt, though."

Mira laughed nervously. Then, something caught her eye. She and Clumsy walked to the end of the machine to a little spout. A strange liquid dripped into a beaker. The liquid looked like melted sapphires, sparkling a little. Mira picked up the beaker and held it up to the light. She sniffed it and took a sip.

"What are you doing?" Clumsy asked fearfully.

Mira gagged and coughed. "That is _not_ Gatorade." She found a cork nearby and plugged the beaker shut.

"Come Azrael! We're finally here!"

Mira and Clumsy looked up in surprise.

"Gargamel!" Clumsy whispered. "Hide!"


	4. Something Goes Wrong

**Chapter Four**

Clumsy jumped into a box of supplies and Mira hid under a table covered in a tarp.

Gargamel had a little skip in his step as he walked down towards the machine. "Ah, my glorious Smurfilator! If only I could have this in my hovel back home. It would be perfect! I have the loveliest corner for it!"

Azrael rolled his eyes. Then, his eyes widened. He gave a loud yowl.

"What?" Gargamel demanded.

Azrael jumped onto a box and gestured to the spout where the Smurf essence came out. Gargamel looked and his eyes widened as well.

"No!" He shouted. "The essence! It's gone! No! Oh, those wretched Smurfs must've taken it!" Azrael nodded, growling.

"Oh, that's just great!" Gargamel shouted. "Just brilliant! How are we supposed to capture those little wretches now? There's only so much essence left in the wand. If I use it all trying to get home, what am I left with? I refuse to go back to my old traps!"

Azrael rolled his eyes, bored by his master's usual rants. Then, his nose twitched. There was another person here. No, make that two. One was a human, and the other was...

Clumsy buried himself deeper in the box to further conceal himself. Suddenly, the box was overturned, and he went tumbling. He sat up only to find himself face-to-nose with Azrael. Clumsy scrambled to his feet and ran, screaming all the way. Azrael snarled as he chased him. Gargamel noticed the Smurf and, on instinct, pulled out the dragon wand and launched a bolt. The electric stream wrapped around Clumsy and lifted him in the air. Clumsy gritted his teeth in pain as he was pulled off the ground. Instantly, he realized how much pain Papa had been in when he was captured. The second the pain stopped, Clumsy found himself in Gargamel's tight grip.

"Well now." Gargamel laughed. "What do we have here? Did those pathetic little Smurfs leave you behind?"

"Put me down!" Clumsy shouted as he struggled to break free.

"Oh I'll put you down." Gargamel laughed as he walked to the essence extractor. "Right in here. Your essence may not be as strong as Papa's, but it'll do."

As this was happening, Mira carefully snuck out from under the table and grabbed a discarded frying pan. She ran up behind Gargamel.

"Hey!" She shouted. When Gargamel turned, Mira slammed the pan into the wizard's face. Gargamel groaned as he fell to the ground, dropping Clumsy as he did. Mira ran as fast as she could, scooping up Clumsy. Azrael ran across a table and jumped towards Mira's head. Mira held up the frying pan and Azrael slumped to the ground. Mira tossed the pan aside and ran as fast as she could, slinging her shopping bag over one shoulder. Clumsy hung onto Mira's bandana as she fled.

"Stop!" Gargamel shouted as he ran after her. "Get back here Smurf thief!"

Mira looked behind her and saw Gargamel getting close. When she looked ahead, she saw some low branches and instantly got an idea.

"Hey Gargamel!" Mira shouted behind her. "Eat branch!" She grabbed a branch as she ran and pulled it back as far as it would go before releasing it. The branch swung back and smacked Gargamel in the face. The wizard fell to the ground, allowing Mira and Clumsy to run off without being seen.

Gargamel groaned as he sat up. "Azrael, that was a Smurf. Do you know what this means?"

"Merow row?" Azrael asked.

"We have an opportunity to get more Smurf essence!" Gargamel said gleefully. "If we find more Smurfs, that'll be even better!" He laughed with glee. Azrael joined in.

* * *

Mira didn't stop running until she got to the other side of the park. Then she hailed a cab to get back to the apartment. The minute she walked through the door and shut it behind her, she was pulled into a hug by Grace.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, do you hear me?" Grace said in a panicked voice.

"Sorry." Mira said as she gently pulled away. "We got caught up in the park."

"Caught up doing what?" Patrick demanded as he walked up.

"Being chased by a wizard and getting asked out by the coolest boy in my school!" Mira squealed.

"Whoa wait, what?" Patrick asked.

"You ran into Gargamel?" Hefty asked.

"We may have gone to Belvedere Castle and Gargamel found us." Clumsy admitted. He climbed down from Mira's shoulder to join the other Smurfs.

"You did what?" Brainy almost shouted. "What the smurf were you thinking?"

"It was her idea!" Clumsy said quickly, pointing at Mira.

"Way to throw me under the bus, Clumsy." Mira called over her shoulder as she walked off towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. BRB!" The door shut.

"BRB?" Dabbler raised an eyebrow. "What's a BRB?"

"It means 'Be Right Back'." Grace explained.

"Why doesn't she just say that?" Brainy asked.

"You really want to explain teenagers?" Patrick chuckled. Brainy nodded in understanding.

While Mira was in the bathroom, Clumsy told everyone what he and Mira found at Belvedere Castle and Gargamel's plan.

"If he gets that hunk of metal back to his home, we're doomed." Brainy said, holding his head nervously.

"Not completely doomed." Hefty said. "First, he's gotta catch us."

"Aye, and now that he knows we're here, it gets even more dangerous." Gutsy noted.

"He doesn't know all of us are here." Clumsy said. "I don't think. He only saw me."

"That doesn't make it any less dangerous." Smurfette warned. "If Gargamel has the wand, he can use it; no matter how much essence he has."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Dabbler demanded.

"What can we do?" Grouchy snapped. "Let's face it: we're all gonna die."

"Way to stay smurftimistic." Hefty droned.

"Alright, I think we all just have to relax." Patrick said calmly. "Gargamel can't hurt you here. We'll keep you safe. Meanwhile, why don't we focus on the problem of getting you all home?"

"No blue moon, no home." Brainy shrugged.

"We can't leave without Papa." Clumsy insisted.

"And Papa's in no condition to travel." Dabbler added.

Patrick sighed. "So much for that discussion."

"Can it get any worse?" Grouchy grumbled.

Suddenly, they heard Mira curse from the living room.

"Mira!" Grace scolded as they walked into the living room. "What's wrong?"

Mira was on the couch, dressed in a light blue nightgown and her wet hair in a braid. She was concentrating on Papa, pulling the IV needle from his hand and putting gauze over his hand where the needle went in. She looked furious as she worked, checking Papa's pulse and breathing. Papa himself looked pale and ghastly.

"What's wrong?" Gutsy asked worriedly.

"What's wrong is he's not responding well to the IV solution." Mira growled. "I thought I told you to let me know if anything was wrong!"

"I didn't think anything was wrong!" Dabbler said defensively. "He looked fine; as fine as he can be."

"Yeah, well guess what?" Mira snapped. "His body is resisting the solution. His system has been fighting it for who knows how long."

"How were we supposed to know?" Grouchy demanded.

"How are you supposed to know?" Mira repeated. She stood up abruptly and stomped over to the Smurfs. She knelt to their eye level. "Gee, I don't know, maybe if you had been keeping an eye on him, you would've known he was reacting badly to it! He's unconscious, not dead! If you're the doctor of mythical creatures here-" she jabbed Dabbler with her finger, pushing him to the ground. "-why couldn't you tell he was getting sick from the solution?"

Dabbler looked hurt. "I...I didn't..."

"You didn't know?" Mira interrupted. "How could you not know?"

"Mira, that's not fair." Patrick intervened. "He only did what he thought was best. The Smurfs are from a different time period altogether. They don't understand modern medicine."

"But he should understand when his own father isn't well." Mira protested as she stood to look Patrick in the eyes. "Just look at him." She gestured towards Papa. "He's pale, clammy, feverish, and possibly in shock. He could've died if the IV wasn't removed. And it would be their fault because I trusted them to know when something was wrong and then let me know. Before I left to go shopping this morning, I was told he was fine. He doesn't look fine to me!"

"Mira, it's alright." Grace said calmly.

"It's alright?" Mira scoffed. "It's not alright. Their father could die and they aren't paying attention! They've made it clear that they don't care."

"We care more about Papa than you think." Brainy snapped.

"Papa's our family." Hefty added. "And you-"

"You never give up on family." Mira said. "I know that. I've always known that. My mother taught me everything I know including everything about-" Mira stopped as she stared at the Smurfs. She looked back at Papa for a moment and sighed. "Never mind. If you'll excuse me, I have a date tomorrow and I don't want to fall asleep in the middle of it. Keep an eye on Papa. I'm camping out in the office." She walked to the office and shut the doors, leaving everyone in stunned silence.


	5. Mama Willow, The Truth Comes Out

**Chapter Five**

_Gutsy ducked as Azrael's claws almost took his head off. He kept running as the cat chased him. He was just thankful that Gargamel was occupied with a different Smurf. Clumsy and Brainy were running alongside Gutsy, looking terrified out of their wits._

_"Keep goin'!" Gutsy shouted. "To the door!"_

_"Not so fast!" Gargamel laughed as he slammed the door shut. "You won't leave here alive!"_

_The Smurfs ran again, but this time they weren't so lucky. Gargamel grabbed them, two at a time, until he had the four Smurfs trapped in a cage._

_"You won't get away with this!" Harmony shouted. "When Papa gets here, you're gonna-"_

_"Your precious little Papa Smurf will never find you!" Gargamel gloated. "And even if he does find you, it'll be too late to save you."_

_Gutsy grabbed the bars of the cage and started pulling them apart. Gargamel noticed, however, and was quick to pull him out by the legs._

_"You will be the first to go!" Gargamel declared. Brainy, Clumsy, and Harmony screamed and shouted as Gutsy was carried off to the cauldron over the fire. Gutsy fought hard. He tried to bite the wizard's hand, but Gargamel grabbed Gutsy's top half, squeezing the tiny Smurf's neck. Gutsy gasped and choked. His vision started getting blurry as he struggled to breathe. He could still hear his friends screaming for him. Harmony was blowing his trumpet for all it was worth. Gutsy could just make out the blurry shape of the cauldron and the potion in it. He braced himself for whatever pain may come, if any._

_"Gargamel! Put him down!"_

_Gargamel's grip loosened enough for Gutsy to breathe. He looked up to see Papa Smurf and Willow on the windowsill._

_"Azrael!" Gargamel shouted. "Get them!"_

_Azrael snarled and charged. Papa dove in one direction and Willow jumped in the opposite. Papa ran as Azrael chased him while Willow flapped her wings to get to the caged Smurfs. Brainy, Clumsy, and Harmony cheered as the forest sprite broke the door open. _

_"Too late Papa Smurf!" Gargamel laughed. "Watch now as I extract all the essence from your precious little Smurf!"_

_Gutsy kept struggling, even as he was dropped into the cauldron. But before he could touch the potion, Willow flew in and grabbed him by the kilt. She flew him to the ground, pulling the handle of the cauldron as she did and spilling the potion on the floor. Once Gutsy and Willow hit the stone floor, they went running. Azrael changed course and chased them, growling. The cat leaped towards Willow, but Gutsy pushed her aside. He gave an involuntary scream of pain as Azrael's claws raked across his skin. Willow grabbed Azrael's ear and pulled him away while Papa helped Gutsy to his feet. The Smurfs and forest sprite ran as fast as they could, not stopping until they were out the window and far from the hovel. They laughed as Gargamel shouted angrily after them. When they had stopped to rest, they noticed Gutsy holding his arm, gritting his teeth in pain. He pushed the other Smurfs away when they tried to help._

_"Gutsy, hold still." Willow soothed. "Let me see."_

_"I'm fine." Gutsy insisted, trying to hide his wound._

_"Gutsy." Willow said in a firm but gentle voice. "Let me help you."_

_Gutsy looked reluctant, but allowed Willow to look at the scratches on his arm. As she did, Gutsy took a moment to take in Willow's appearance. Her strapless, knee length summer dress that was white with blue flowers. Her long hair that flowed down to her elbows and was the color of acorns. Resting in her hair was a crown of daisies. The open back of her dress allowed her butterfly wings to move freely. The wings themselves were white with black dots. Her best feature, to Gutsy at least, was Willow's eyes: deep, sapphire blue that sparkled when she was happy. Gutsy smiled a little._

_"What are you smiling at?" Willow smirked. Gutsy ducked his head, but it was hard to hide when a sprite is as tall as you._

_"Thank you, Willow." Papa said gratefully._

_"My pleasure, Papa." Willow nodded. "Anything for my little Smurfs."_

* * *

"Gutsy!"

Gutsy's eyes shot open. He sat up to look at Clumsy, who had awoken him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I want to talk to Mira." Clumsy said. "But I don't wanna go alone. She scares me when she's angry."

"I wanta talk to her too." Gutsy nodded. "Where is she?"

"Out there." Clumsy pointed out the window. "She's on the roof."

Gutsy and Clumsy quickly but quietly ran to the window and climbed the steps to the roof. Sure enough, Mira was there, sitting on a stack of bricks and leaning against a wall. She was staring at the sky, lost in thought, and therefore didn't see the Smurfs coming.

Gutsy and Clumsy approached her cautiously. "Mira?"

Mira calmly turned to look at them, but soon after turned her back to them.

Gutsy sighed and climbed onto a box in front of Mira. "Mira, we aren't angry with you. We just want to talk."

"What's there to talk about?" Mira asked bitterly.

"How about your mother?" Gutsy asked. "Her name was Willow, right?"

Clumsy scrambled onto the box and stood next to Gutsy. "Gutsy, what're you talking about? There's no way-"

"How did you know that?" Mira asked.

Clumsy stared at Mira. "You mean he's right? You know Mama Willow?"

"Willow is my mother's name." Mira said. "If you truly know her, what does she look like?"

"Brown hair and sapphire blue eyes." Gutsy said. "Like you. But her hair was lighter. She liked sundresses."

Mira narrowed her eyes. "Alright. How about this: what did she wear in her hair and what was one of her favorite things to do?"

"She always wore a crown made of flowers in her hair." Clumsy said. "Preferably daisies."

"One of her favorite things to do was go out into the forest." Gutsy said. "To draw, sing, or just walk/fly."

Mira stared. "Alright, I'm convinced. But why did you say 'fly'? Was my mom a fairy or something?"

"A forest sprite." Clumsy corrected. "And a very nice one at that."

Mira rubbed her temples. "Ok, I need some explanation."

"We've got all night." Gutsy said, sitting down on the box. Clumsy followed suit. "Why don't we talk? Maybe we can understand you a little better."

"You don't seem to like us much." Clumsy noted.

Mira sighed. "Yeah, I can explain that after you two explain how you knew my mother."

Gutsy nodded. "Well, where can we begin? Your mother was a forest sprite that lived in the enchanted forest. She didn't really have a family as far as we knew. In fact, no other clan could claim her. She had the strangest of wings: they looked like butterfly wings, white with black spots."

"We didn't really find her. She found us." Clumsy said. "Me, Brainy, Gutsy, and Papa were out gathering ingredients for Papa's spells. We got captured by an evil wizard named Zarth."

"Zarth?" Mira scoffed.

"Don't ask." Gutsy waved it off.

"Zarth took us to his castle, where he planned to destroy us for smurfing around in his land." Clumsy continued. "Which is ironic, because he stole that land. Anyway, Willow was there, working as a servant for Zarth. When she heard what he was going to do to us, she helped us escape. Before we could leave, Zarth attacked us. Willow fought him off until Papa could smurf a spell that trapped Zarth in his own dungeon. But Willow was hurt. So we took her back to our village to help her heal."

"That was nice." Mira commented.

Gutsy shrugged. "Anyway, Willow stayed with us while Papa took care of her wounds. Everyone pitched in to help. Willow grew on us; she was kind, caring, and brave. She got better and smurfier everyday. But a lot of us didn't want her to leave. Honestly, she didn't seem to want to leave. Papa took her in; we all did, really."

"Good ol' Mama Willow." Clumsy sighed. "Once she started living with us, that's what a lot of Smurfs called her. She certainly acted like it. Mama Willow treated us all like her own. She even called us 'her little smurfs'. Everyone loved her. It was nice to have a Mama."

"So what happened to her?" Mira asked.

Gutsy and Clumsy suddenly looked sad. "It was Gargamel's fault." Gutsy growled. "He captured a bunch of Smurfs and took them back to his lair. Papa was sick and Willow refused to let anyone go after them. Willow came alone. She managed to free the Smurfs, but a bunch of potions fell onto her. The result was Willow taking a human form."

"She turned human?" Mira clarified.

Clumsy nodded. "We explained the situation to Papa, but there wasn't anything we could do. Not unless we knew exactly what Willow was hit with. Before we could do anything, Willow left. Tracker Smurf followed her trail to the Forbidden Falls. She must've gone thru the portal and smurfed up here."

"Which brings us to your side of the story, lass." Gutsy concluded. "Does your mother have something to do with why ya don't like us?"

Mira smiled a little. "Actually, she's the reason I wasn't too surprised to see you guys. My mom was one of the most amazing people in the whole world. She was the best mom you could ask for. And yes, she loved sundresses. My dad wasn't always around. He was always busy with work. But all I needed was her. I can remember when she would take me to Central Park almost every day. We'd sit by the water and watch the ducks and geese. My mom would tell me stories about the Smurfs; she told me each and every one Smurf's name and personality, the Smurf's way of life, and the adventures they had. She told me about Gargamel, Azrael, Laconia the mute wood elf, Chlorhydris the witch that hates love, and so much more. The way she spoke about you, the way she made the stories come to life..." Mira sighed in content. "It was truly magical.

"Then, one evening, we went out to Central Park in the middle of the night. My mom told me about the Smurfs again. She said I could always trust them; they were my friends. I was wide awake and attentive. Then, my mom said she had to leave. I didn't know at the time, but she was very sick. Whenever I couldn't sleep, she would sing a Gaelic lullaby her mom taught her. My mom sang that lullaby to me that night. Even though I was wide awake, I fell asleep in minutes.

"I woke up the next morning in my bed at home. My mom was dead." Mira swallowed the lump in her throat. "When my mom died, the magic of her stories died with her. I scoffed at the idea of little blue magical creatures. I didn't want to remember my mom because it only made me hurt." Mira stared at the two Smurfs before her. "I didn't like you simply because you inadvertently caused me pain."

Gutsy and Clumsy shared a look. Gutsy came forward and patted Mira's hand. "We didn't mean to harm you, lassie."

"We like you." Clumsy added. "I bet that under your, uh, rough personality, you're just like your mom: kind and caring."

Mira smiled. "Thanks. I'm sorry for shouting at you guys. I mean, you guys risked your lives to battle a crackpot wizard to save your dad. I wish I could be that brave."

"I think you're that brave." Clumsy said.

"Ya got guts, lassie." Gutsy nodded. "When the time comes, you can be strong. Just like your mother."

"You saved me from Gargamel." Clumsy noted. "You hit him with a tree branch!"

Mira laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks guys."

"Smurf hug!" Clumsy cheered, jumping towards Mira. The girl barely managed to catch him.

"I don't think so." Mira laughed as she set Clumsy down. "Come on. We should all get some sleep. I have a date tomorrow afternoon." Gutsy and Clumsy followed Mira down the steps and through the window to the living room. The other Smurfs were asleep, minus Hefty who was keeping watch on Papa. He looked up at the returning group and Mira offered a small smile. Hefty smiled back, showing there were no hard feelings. Mira returned to the office to sleep while Gutsy and Clumsy climbed back into their beds.

For the first time in days, they slept peacefully.


	6. Back To Belvedere

**Chapter Six- Back to Belvedere**

Mira whistled as she flipped her pancakes. Gutsy whooped and laughed as he spun around an orange in the juicer. Clumsy hummed the Smurf's famous tune as he pushed cups under the juicer's spout. Mira laughed a little as Gutsy suddenly tumbled off the orange.

"I smell pancakes!" Patrick called. "What's the occasion, Grace?" He rounded the corner and jumped a little. "Mira? Gutsy? Clumsy?"

"Good morning Uncle Patrick." Mira greeted warmly. "Pancakes?"

Patrick stared. "Ok, who are you and what have you done with Mirabelle?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mira smirked. "I'm just making breakfast. And I thought I told you to not call me Mirabelle. Only my mom calls me Mirabelle."

"The Mira I know is a. Not this polite and b. Never does anything for anyone else." Patrick said. "What changed you?"

"Let's just say I let off some steam." Mira said. "Talked some things out and lifted some weight off my shoulders." She smiled at Gutsy and Clumsy. Patrick cast a look towards them, but the little Smurfs only shrugged innocently.

When Grace and the other Smurfs had finally joined them, they too were surprised by Mira's change in attitude. She even apologized to the other Smurfs for shouting at them.

"We do have some good news." Dabbler said as they ate. "I checked out Papa. He's not clammy anymore and he looks less pale. You're quick thinking really helped. I mean, who knows what could've happened if you didn't notice he was sick."

"Thanks." Mira smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink. "How are his wounds healing?"

Dabbler's face fell. "They aren't. I don't know what it is, but they aren't healing like they should."

"What exactly was he hit with again?" Mira asked.

"Gargamel used the dragon wand to launch a sort of lightning bolt." Brainy said.

"So, it was a spell?" Mira guessed.

"You could say that." Hefty nodded.

"Well, then maybe something about the spell is affecting how he is healing." Mira suggested.

"Good thinking." Smurfette complimented.

"Then what do we do?" Grace asked.

No one said anything. What could they do? They wouldn't be able to invoke a blue moon for a while. Then there was Gargamel to think about. Patrick had reported seeing him walking around New York, obviously still searching for the Smurfs. If they were found, all bets are off.

Mira suddenly got a crafty smile on her face. "Hey, this Gargamel freak is a wizard, right?"

"Not the brightest in the world." Brainy laughed.

"What a numptie." Gutsy agreed.

"But he knows magic?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, sure." Hefty nodded.

"Alright, then why don't we go to his lair and look through a few spell books?" Mira suggested.

"Are you smurfed?" Grouchy snapped. "Gargamel will turn you into a mouse and you'll be smurfed alive by Azrael."

"I was once jumped by six jocks from my school." Mira scoffed. "They were burly and stoned yet I walked away with all of them unconscious in an alley. If I can handle six stoned guys, I can handle Sir Magic Moron."

"Grouchy's right." Patrick said. "Believe it or not, Gargamel _is _dangerous. He can hurt you."

"But what if he has something that can help?" Mira protested. "Maybe he has a spell that can create a portal sooner."

"No." Patrick said firmly. "Don't go anywhere near him."

"But-"

"End of discussion." Patrick snapped. He wiped his mouth and left. Mira frowned, sighing through her nose.

Patrick left for work. Grace went to run errands with Smurfette tagging along. Once they had left, Mira jumped up from her chair and ran to the window. She climbed out to the fire escape and looked down, watching as Grace climbed into a taxi and the car drove off. Mira smirked in triumph and ran back inside. The Smurfs watched as Mira ran into the office and emerged a few minutes later wearing dark blue jeans and a red shirt. As she walked out, she pulled a black sweatshirt on over her head.

"Where are ya going, lass?" Gutsy asked as Mira pulled her bag on.

"I'm going to Belvedere Castle." Mira said. "I'm gonna find something that'll help Papa Smurf, get you guys a portal home, and be back in time for my date at 3."

"Patrick told you not to." Clumsy protested.

"What Uncle Patrick doesn't know won't hurt him." Mira said dismissively. "I'll be fine."

"Mira, we can't let you go alone." Hefty said.

"Alright." Mira sighed. "Gutsy and Hefty come with me. The rest of you, keep Papa company until we get back."

"Not a chance." Dabbler said. "We can't let you."

"Gutsy and Hefty, you're welcome to join me." Mira called from the front door. "See you in about an hour." The door shut. The Smurfs exchanged looks.

Brainy pinched the bridge of his nose. "We can't let her go. At least not alone."

"Hefty, Gutsy, go with her." Dabbler said. "Brainy, why don't you go too? You're Papa's apprentice; you'll know more about this magic stuff."

"I hate staying behind." Grouchy grumbled.

"We'll be back soon." Gutsy promised. He cast a look at Clumsy, currently sitting next to Papa on the couch. He looked worried sick as he watched Pap's chest rise and fall, like he was afraid it would stop.

_It might stop..._ A voice in the back of Gutsy's mind said. Gutsy ran out the window, Hefty and Brainy following. They jumped off the balcony and used their hats as parachutes to get down to Mira, who was waiting down below.  
"I knew you guys would come." Mira said as she helped them into her bag. "But you, Brainy? Not expecting that. Way to go."

* * *

Mira stayed low to the ground, crawling slowly towards Belvedere Castle. She peered over the railing, looking around twice through to make sure Gargamel wasn't around. Gutsy, Hefty, and Brainy climbed out of her bag to stand on the railing. Mira reached into her bag and grabbed a large wrench.

"Ready for this?" Mira asked.

"As we'll ever be." Brainy said, swallowing his fear. The four of them journeyed towards the door and crept down the hallway. They stopped when they heard Gargamel talking.

"Oh stop complaining Azrael!" Gargamel snapped. He tinkered with his machine, keeping all his attention on it rather than his feline friend.

"Mrow!" Azrael whined.

"If you're hungry, go catch a mouse or a bird." Gargamel waved him off. "I have work to do. I want to save as much essence as I can and I can't do that if I'm wasting it on petty repairs." He grumbled to himself. "Curse that vile Smurfette. Must've done something to it helping her precious little Papa. If I could just figure out what."

"Merow mow mow." Azrael meowed.

"I just told you why I couldn't use the wand!" Gargamel snapped. "I'm saving the essence until I can capture more Smurfs."

Azrael rolled his eyes and resorted to lying down for a catnap.

Mira gazed across the room and spied the dragon wand, resting on a table a few feet from the machine Gargamel was working on. Mira gestured for the Smurfs to follow her and she led them back up to the door.

"We have to get Gargamel out of there." Mira said. "Then we can nab that wand and search for anything else of use to us."

"How do we get Gargamel out of there?" Hefty asked.

"We need a distraction." Mira said. "Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it." Hefty offered. "Gargamel doesn't scare me."

"Me too." Gutsy added. "In case that nasty cat shows up."

"Brainy and I will move in when they're gone." Mira said. "We'll be fast. Once we're done, we'll give a signal."

"The signal will be this." Brainy gave a shrill whistle, lasting about three seconds until Gutsy slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Brainy!" Mira, Gutsy, and Hefty hissed.

The sound of footsteps resonated from the hallway.

"Come on, Brainy!" Mira whispered. "Go, guys, go!" Gutsy and Hefty ran off as Mira and Brainy hid. Gargamel and Azrael ran right past them and they slipped inside.

"Smurfs!" Gargamel laughed. "Get them, Azrael!" Azrael went running for Gutsy while Gargamel chased Hefty.

"Just like back home, eh Gutsy?" Hefty laughed.

"Aye lad!" Gutsy called. "But the numpties aren't much smarter!"

Mira and Brainy went sprinting into the chamber and immediately started rummaging through things. They flipped through old books and tossed aside any that were useless. They looked for amulets or more wands or anything that seemed magical.

"Find anything?" Brainy called.

"Nothing!" Mira growled. "The machine might have magical traces, but it's just a machine that extracts essence."

"Keep looking!" Brainy said desperately. "There's gotta be something here."

Gutsy jumped as Azrael's claws narrowly missed him. Hefty made a sharp turn to avoid Gargamel's foot.

"Hefty!" Gutsy shouted. "Smashing Switch Up!"

"Right!" Hefty shouted. He and Gutsy started running towards each other, their pursuers still right behind them. Hefty and Gutsy passed each other and Gargamel tripped over Azrael. Hefty and Gutsy laughed. But their bliss was cut short when Azrael jumped towards them.

Brainy's head snapped up when she heard Gutsy and Hefty shout. "We have to get out of here. There's nothing of use to us here."

"There has to be see something." Mira said desperately as she rummaged through a box of random objects.

"Mira, come on." Brainy urged. "We'll take the wand and go."

Mira growled in defeat. "Fine." She grabbed the dragon wand and started running when she stopped. She took her wrench and jammed it into the essence extractor. She ran with Brainy up to where the others were. Azrael had them cornered and Gargamel was closing in.

"Get away from them!" Mira shouted, pointing the wand at Gargamel. Gargamel and Azrael turned, giving Hefty and Gutsy just enough time to run to Mira and Brainy.

"You're either very brave or very foolish, girl." Gargamel sneered. "How do you plan to use that wand without magic?"

"Just leave them alone." Mira growled. "Or I'm gonna find out what this thing does when you say 'alakazam'."

Suddenly, a burst of energy spewed from the wand. The force from the blast knocked Mira backwards. She hit a wall and fell to the ground. Gargamel ducked and the blast hit a tree, succeeding in knocking it down. The dragon wand flew from Mira's grasp and into Gargamel's hand.

"Mira!" Gutsy gasped as the Smurfs ran to her side. "You alright, lass?"

"I'm fine." Mira grunted as she sat up.

"Impressive." Gargamel mused. "Where did you learn magic?"

"I didn't." Mira said.

"Such a shame." Gargamel shrugged. "How about this: step away from my Smurfs, and you may go free."

"Better idea." Mira said. "You give me the wand and let us go and I won't punch your teeth out."

Gargamel glared. "You have three seconds to give me those Smurfs or you're all mine. One..." Mira pulled the Smurfs in close. "Two..." Brainy clutched Mira's sweatshirt fearfully. Gutsy and Hefty stood protectively in front of her. "Three!"

"No!" Mira shouted.

She held up a hand as a blast was shot at them. Suddenly, a blue bubble formed around Mira and the Smurfs. The blast hit the bubble and exploded on impact. But Mira and the Smurfs were unharmed.

Gargamel stared. "Amazing. And you say you have no powers."

"I don't know how that happened." Hefty said. "But do something else."

Gargamel, still in shock, stood no chance against the blast of blue energy that was launched from Mira's palm. The wizard screamed as he flew into the air and landed with a large _SPLASH _in the pond.

"Let's go guys!" Mira shouted. She scooped up the Smurfs and ran as fast as she could.

"You have magic powers!" Brainy laughed.

"How long have ya had them?" Gutsy asked.

"No idea!" Mira said. "We'll worry about it later!"

* * *

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Grace cried. "We didn't want you going anywhere near that place and you deliberately disobeyed us."

"I just wanted to help." Mira protested. "At least I was trying. I thought I could do a little good since I was kind of a jerk lately."

"I'm glad you care." Grace said. "But you can't risk your life like that so much. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I heard you were gone? I kept thinking you would be hurt or killed."

"I'm fine!" Mira shouted. "Please stop treating me like a kid and show me that you have a _little _faith in me!"

"I trust you." Grace assured. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

Mira sighed. "Thank you. Can I go get ready for my date now?"

Grace pulled Mira into a hug. "Go get ready. Call me if you need anything." Mira nodded and walked into the bathroom with her clothes she was planning to wear.

Grace sighed. She walked over to the Smurfs in the living room and sat down in one of the chairs. Papa had been moved to the office on Dabbler's orders; Dabbler himself was with him, giving a checkup. Clumsy was there, too. Ever since Papa had been hurt, Clumsy had always been close by. It was easy to see that Clumsy blamed himself for Papa's condition. No matter what anyone said, he insisted that if he hadn't led Gargamel to the village in the first place, none of this would've happened. Grouchy found it hard to argue with that.

"Ya can't be too hard on her, lassie." Gutsy told Grace.

"She was truly only trying to help." Hefty added.

"You should've seen the magic she was using!" Brainy said excitedly.

"How do you think she did that?" Smurfette asked.

"No idea." Brainy shrugged. "It's got me smurfed."

Before another word could be said, Clumsy's terrified voice rang out from the office.

"You're lying!" Clumsy shouted. "It's not true!" Everyone stared at the office doors in shock.

"I'm not lying; I wouldn't lie about something like this." Dabbler's voice said.

"There has to be something any of us can do!"

"There's only one thing I can think of. But it's too dangerous. Papa wouldn't want us to risk that."

"I can't-"

"Clumsy, listen to me! There's nothing we can do! Accept that!"

There was silence for a while. Then, they heard sobbing.

"Stay with him, ok Clumsy?" Dabbler emerged from the office, a solemn look on his face. He climbed onto the coffee table. Everyone took a step forward, but stopped when they saw Dabbler's bloodshot and puffy eyes.

"Dabbler, what's wrong?" Smurfette asked worriedly.

Dabbler sighed sadly. "I just finished Papa's checkup." Tears formed in his eyes, but he wiped them away fast.

"Dabbler?" Brainy whimpered.

"He's getting worse." Dabbler choked. "H-he's not gonna make it."


	7. All Is Lost

**Chapter Seven- All Is Lost**

"H-he's not gonna make it."

Silence.

Everyone stared at Dabbler as he kept his head down, hiding his tears. Smurfette immediately broke down and Grace put a comforting hand around her shoulders. Hefty clenched his fists and punched the armrest of the couch. Grouchy kept muttering how much he hated this, but everyone could see his tears. Brainy seemed to be holding back his tears well, but he had his glasses off and he was wringing his hat in his hands. Gutsy covered his eyes with his hands and sighed.

"Don't say that." Gutsy said.

"I'm sorry." Dabbler shook his head. "But go see for yourself if you don't believe me. His pulse is getting weaker and he's hardly breathing. He'll be dead by morning, if not tonight."

"Didn't you say there was something we could do?" Gutsy said.

"There's nothing we can do." Dabbler shook his head.

Everyone was silent as the realization began to sink in._ This is really happening. _Gutsy thought. _Papa's gonna die. _He growled a little and kicked a basket of plastic fruit off the table in anger. It was really happening; their papa was dying and there was nothing that could be done. What would the Smurfs back home say when they came home with a corpse? How were the Smurflings going to react? What were they supposed to tell Baby Smurf if he ever asked about Papa? These questions and more ran through each Smurf's head, but they would all have to go unanswered for now.

Brainy looked up suddenly, his eyes wide. "What about-"

"No." Dabbler interrupted.

"But I-"

"I know what you were going to say." Dabbler snapped. "And I'm telling you now, it's not gonna happen. If we get killed doing it, it'll be worth nothing."

"At least we'll have tried!" Brainy snapped as he put his glasses on.

"Tried what?" Hefty asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't say it, Brainy." Dabbler warned. "It's a hopeless cause."

Brainy glared at Dabbler for a moment. "I know a way to save Papa."

Dabbler groaned. "Brainy..."

"You do?" Grouchy asked hopefully. "What is it?"

"It's something Papa once showed me." Brainy explained. "Gargamel's extracted Smurf essence before. Thankfully, Papa saved the Smurf and got the Smurf essence too. When he got back to his lab, he found a way to use the essence. He reserves it in his lab to this day, saving it in case one of us was dying. Papa could use the essence to heal any wound or sickness."

"Gargamel has some Smurf essence!" Smurfette cried. "In a bottle at Belvedere!"

"We can get it to save Papa!" Hefty said.

"No." Dabbler said firmly. "Papa wouldn't want us to do that because it'll kill us. Gargamel will get us long before we can get the essence."

"But Brainy's right." Grouchy protested. "At least we'll have tried to save him."

"If Gargamel captures us, we're dead." Dabbler said. "Don't the Smurfs back home deserve to see us safe and sound if they can't see Papa alive?"

"They'd be happier to see Papa alive." Gutsy said.

"Yeah, but if Gargamel extracts our essence, he'll be able to go home and capture the other Smurfs." Dabbler snapped. "We can't risk that."

"Then maybe we don't have to go." Brainy offered. "Mira can do it."

"Are you crazy?" Grace asked, panicked. "She's taken enough risks as it is."

"But she can do magic." Gutsy said. "She can fight Gargamel and win."

"And she's sneaky!" Hefty piped up. "If anyone can do it, Mira can."

"Mira can what?"

Everyone turned as Mira came around the corner. She was dressed in her dark skinny jeans and silver flats. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and she wore her new blue shirt from shopping.

"Mira we need you to go back to Belvedere and get the Smurf essence from Gargamel." Smurfette said quickly.

"I'll stop by on my way home from my date." Mira said as she made her way to the door.

"The sooner we get the essence, the better." Brainy urged. "Can't you get it now and go on your date later?"

"I'm already late as it is." Mira protested.

"But we-" Dabbler started.

"I'll get it on my way home." Mira said quickly. "You've gotta understand. This is really important to me. Derek is the most popular boy at school and if I blow him off, I'll never get another chance with him."

"Mira, he'll understand I'm sure." Grace said. "We need your help."

"I'll get it on my way back." Mira assured. "I promise."

"Mira, Papa's dying." Gutsy spoke up. "We need that Smurf essence or he won't live to see morning."

Mira paused for a moment. "Guys, I'm sorry. I truly am. But I've been waiting for this for a long time and I won't let this opportunity pass. I'll grab the essence on my way home." Mira walked out without another word. The Smurfs and Grace were silent for a moment, all of them feeling betrayed. Gutsy, rather than feeling betrayed, was upset with himself; he thought he had finally gotten through to Mira and changed her. But it looked like he was wrong.

Eventually, the Smurfs and Grace moved to the office. Papa was still on his bed. Clumsy wasn't sobbing uncontrollably, but tears were still streaming down his face and he had a death grip on Papa's hand. Gutsy sat next to Clumsy and pulled the smaller Smurf into a hug. Everyone else gathered around, keeping silent as they stared at their Papa.

Smurfette thought back to when she was found by the Smurfs, back when she was a servant for Gargamel. The first thing Papa had said to her was, "You're among friends, now." There was no accusing questions or cautious attitudes; she was accepted. When she finally admitted to being created by Gargamel, Papa took pity on her rather than banish her. He made her into a true Smurf. He protected her no matter what the odds. Whenever Smurfette was in danger, Papa was the first to jump into action and help.

Brainy mentally went through every spell Papa ever taught him, but there wasn't a single spell that offered assistance to the situation. Papa had taught Brainy everything the bespectacled Smurf knew. When the need arose, Brainy could be counted on if Papa wasn't able to help. So why couldn't he help now? Now, when his master of magic truly needed him? What kind of apprentice was he if he couldn't do anything? Brainy wiped his eyes. Papa would always be ten times the sorcerer that Brainy will ever be.

Dabbler thought back to when he first started studying medicine. Papa had given him his book and his trust. Dabbler, like his name suggests, was never one to stay with one lifestyle. It would drive the other Smurfs crazy. But Papa was patient. He was accepting. And he showed his pride in Dabbler when he helped Jokey and his allergic reaction to some paint. When Dabbler decided to move on from medicine, Papa never got angry or disappointed. Only someone like Papa Smurf could truly accept each Smurf for who they were.

It was the same with Gutsy, Hefty, and Grouchy, the three Stooges themselves. They were always together, through thick and thin. Papa could tell early on that they would always be great friends. No matter what kind of trouble they got into, be it a prank on an unsuspecting Smurf or getting captured by Gargamel, they could always count on Papa to be there. Papa put up with all of them. He chuckled at Grouchy's, well, grouchiness and his constant "I hates". He didn't mind (too much) when Gutsy did his death-defying stunts all over the village. He could always count on Hefty to help him, simply because that was how Hefty was.

"We need that essence." Hefty finally said. "I don't care if I have to go alone; I'll save Papa or die trying. He's risked his life more times than we can count, just to save our tails. I would gladly do the same."

Gutsy stood up, releasing Clumsy as he did. "Aye, me too. You're not tangling with that wizard without me."

"Count me in." Grouchy said immediately. "For Papa."

"I want a piece of Azrael." Smurfette added.

"You'll need my intellectual brilliance." Brainy said masterfully. "I'm coming too."

"Grace, you stay here." Dabbler said. "We'll not risk your life out there."

"But I can help." Grace protested.

"This is going to be a stealth mission." Dabbler explained. "We're smaller and should be able to sneak in and out pretty fast. Just watch Papa. We'll be back faster than you can say 'Smurf'."

"Let's ride, lads!" Gutsy laughed as they ran off. But they only got to the office doors when they realized someone was missing. They turned to see Clumsy still kneeling by Papa's side.

"Aren't ya comin', Clumsy?" Hefty asked.

"No." Clumsy mumbled.

"But we'll need everyone." Dabbler said. "In case 'stealth mode' doesn't go right."

"I'm not going." Clumsy shook his head. "I'll mess everything up like always."

"But Clumsy-" Smurfette started.

"No!" Clumsy shouted, making everyone recoil. "It's because of me that we ended up in here and it's because of me Papa's hurt. I won't take another risk by endangering all of you too."

"Clumsy, it's not your fault." Grace assured.

"Yes it was." Clumsy grumbled. "Just go. Get what you need and do yourselves a favor by leaving me behind."

"No Smurf left behind." Gutsy reminded him. Clumsy said nothing. Gutsy sighed. "Come on. Let's go." They ran off, out the window and parachuting down to the ground.

"You realize there's a great chance of us being caught, right?" Brainy noted as they ran. "By my calculations, the chances of this succeeding are not in our favor."

"Does it matter right now?" Hefty demanded. "If I had to choose between Papa living and me, I'd choose Papa."

"For Papa Smurf!" Smurfette agreed.

"No stupid wizard is gonna get in our way!" Gutsy cheered.

"Let's kick some smurf!" Grouchy laughed.

Grace stood up, saying something about making tea for her and Clumsy. The accident-prone Smurf said nothing. Grace walked away, leaving Clumsy alone with Papa. Clumsy sniffed a little and wiped some stray tears away. He was glad the other Smurfs went without him. Better to not risk something terrible happening because he was, well, clumsy. Papa was too important.

Clumsy shifted his weight to lie down and put his head on Papa's bandaged chest. He could faintly hear Papa's heartbeat; it was slow and weak, but it was still there.

"You're gonna be ok, Papa." Clumsy whispered. "I promise."


	8. Everchanging Thoughts

**Chapter Eight- Ever-changing Thoughts**

Mira chose to take the stairs rather than the elevator. She took off her shoes and ran down the stairs barefoot, jumping the last five steps of each flight altogether. She pulled her hair free from her ponytail and let it fly behind her. She kept going, not even slowing down until she got to the lobby. She took a few breaths to calm herself and put her shoes back on. She walked outside and saw Derek, dressed in nice jeans and a cute, blue and white striped T-shirt.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late." Mira greeted.

"No prob." Derek waved it off. "Let's just get going."

"Sure." Mira nodded as they walked. "Where are we going?"

"I know a nice little café downtown." Derek said. "Unfortunately, my parents are forcing me to drop this off at Wong's Mystical Emporium." Derek held up bag stuffed with books. "My mom borrowed some books from Wong and I have to return them."

"That's ok." Mira shrugged. "I've been dying to get in there."

"Why?" Derek asked. "It's full of old books and junk."

"I love books." Mira said. "And all those statues and wands and amulets and, well, all those things are cool."

Derek made a face. "Word of advice: if you want to hang out with people like me, keep those thoughts to yourself."

Mira became silent, slightly hurt. _Clumsy would've agreed with me._ She thought. But then she looked up at Derek's pretty face. _Then again...maybe he's right. I mean, if this all works out, I'll be up there with the popular kids. No more worrying about jocks jumping me again._

They arrived at the bookstore and were greeted warmly by Wong himself. The elderly Chinese man had grayish-white hair and sparkling dark brown eyes. He always wore traditional Chinese robes. Today, it was black shirt and pants covered in a red design.

"Mirabelle!" Wong laughed. "How you doing?"

"Great. Thanks." Mira nodded.

"You know this guy?" Derek whispered.

"I come in here all the time." Mira whispered back. "Had a summer job here for a long time." Derek looked unimpressed.

"What can I help you with?" Wong asked.

"My mom borrowed these." Derek droned. "Need to return them. Also, I have a list of more books that she needs."

Wong checked out the books in the bag, crossing things off on a list he had. "Very good. I find books for you. You may look around if you like."

As Wong left, Derek busied himself by staring at some of the statues and masks around them. "This place is weird." He scoffed.

"I think it's cool." Mira said. "You have no idea how awesome this place is."

Derek snorted. "Yeah, right. Why can't that old man hurry up?"

Mira nibbled on her lower lip. "I'm gonna look through the books." She walked off towards the back, where dozens of bookshelves and possibly hundreds of books lay. Mira smiled and took a deep breath. The air was a little musty and literally smelled like old paper. Just the way Mira liked it. She could spend all day in this shop, reading books and studying the masks, wands, statues, and just the shop itself. Mira ran her hand along the bindings of the books as she scanned the shelves for a good book. As she did, she suddenly noticed something in the dust on the shelves. They looked like footprints, but they were days old. Mira noted that they were in fact Smurf tracks. _Oh right, they came here for the blue moon incantation._Mira yelped as a bird flew inches from her head.

"Sparrow!" Mira groaned. The hawk with the ironic name gave her natural hawk cry as she landed on a table. Mira noticed the hawk was looking down at something on the table. She walked over to see a blue book with gold lettering. Sparrow the hawk flew off. Mira picked up the book.

"'L'Histoire des Schtroumpfs'." Mira read. "'The History of the Smurfs'. Guess those high school French lessons came in handy." Mira flipped through the book, staring in wonder at the work of Peyo. It was hard to believe that Peyo created the Smurfs; now that Mira knew they were real, it seemed like Peyo studied the Smurfs rather than created them. Then, Mira noticed some things in the drawings: strange symbols that blended in with the sketches. As Mira looked at them, the runes seemed to float off the page and shift to English and French words and letters. Mira flipped through the book, silently mouthing the words as she read them in her head. As she read, she realized that they were spells; a lot of the spells were simple chants, but some were in French and others were in a strange language Mira couldn't identify.

"You like?"

Mira jumped and gasped, shutting the book quickly and spinning around to see Wong with Sparrow on his shoulder.

"Uh...I..." Mira was at a loss for words. When she finally came to her senses, she held up the book in her hands. "How much for this?"

"Keep it." Wong said. "It's yours."

"Oh, Wong, I couldn't-"

"Keep." Wong insisted. "Also, take these." He held out a small bag of books. Mira took them and gazed at the covers. Each book was one of magic, spells, and potions.

"What are these things for?" Mira asked as she put the History of Smurfs book in the bag.

"Your mother buy those books long time ago." Wong said. "She said to give them to you when you were ready. And now, you are ready."

Mira looked down at the bag of books in her hand. She had no idea what her mom was thinking and she was even more confused by Wong's behavior. But she would trust Wong with her life, so she nodded wordlessly.

"Go now." Wong said calmly, guiding Mira towards the door. "Date is waiting for you. His mother doesn't need books today."

Mira nodded happily. "Thanks Wong. See ya!" She started walking off, but Wong stopped her.

"Mirabelle, this may sound, how you say, cliché, but I must tell you." Wong said. "Your heart is good; your heart is in the right place. You should follow it; listen to it."

Mira smiled and nodded. "Thank you Wong."

Mira ran off to meet up with Derek. The two of them left, Derek grumbling about how the emporium smelled like mothballs. Mira didn't really hear him. She kept thinking about the books she had just gotten. This made her think about the magic she discovered she had back at Belvedere Castle...which made her think about how she discovered them when she was protecting the Smurfs...which made her think about the looks on their faces when she left Papa to die-

Mira shook her thoughts away. No. She did _not_ leave Papa to die. She had always been told to never let good opportunities slip by. This was her only opportunity to hit it off with Derek. If the Smurfs are so great and magical, surely Papa can stay alive until Mira gets the essence. _After_ her date that is.  
Derek led Mira to a place called Kathy's Kafé. It was a nice little place with tables inside and outside. "It's my older sister's place." Derek explained. "She makes pretty good stuff. Anything you want for any time of the day; coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and a wide selection of pastries. She even makes her own eggnog during Christmas."

"That's amazing." Mira breathed.

"I suppose." Derek shrugged. "It seems like a lot of work." Mira raised an eyebrow, but Derek was too busy looking at the menu. Once they got to the counter, Derek introduced Mira to his sister, Kathy. Kathy looked quite young, but Mira guessed she must've been in her early twenties. Kathy had nice, fair skin, light brown hair in a pixie cut style, and soft grey eyes. She wore blue jeans, a frilly red T-shirt, and a black apron.

"So this is your date." Kathy greeted warmly.

"Yep, this is Maria." Derek introduced without paying attention.

"Mira." Mira corrected. Derek still wasn't paying attention.

"Don't worry." Kathy assured. "He's always like that."

Mira sighed. "Can I just get iced tea? Passion fruit with lemonade?"

"Absolutely." Kathy nodded. "The usual for you, brother dearest?"

"Yeah, yeah." Derek said, waving his hand as he moved to the pickup counter.

"Can I tell you something?" Kathy asked Mira.

"Sure." Mira nodded.

"Looks aren't everything." Kathy said. "Make sure you really get to know my brother before you date him. In my opinion, you could do better." A few people behind Mira agreed.

Mira glanced at Derek, waiting somewhat impatiently for his drink. "Thanks." Mira nodded with a smile.

"You come in anytime." Kathy smiled warmly.

* * *

"Like I said, makes ok coffee." Derek said as he took a sip of his latte. But then he threw it away, though it was still half full. "Why didn't you get coffee?"

Mira downed the last bit of ice from her tea and threw her cup away. "I don't like coffee. Too bitter. Plus, tea's healthier."

Derek made a face again. "Start drinking coffee more often. You'll fit in better."

_Fit in where?_ Mira thought. _The freak show group at school? _

Mira looked up at the clear blue sky through the trees they walked under in Central Park. At least this counted as a romantic walk. But honestly, Derek was really starting to get on Mira's nerves. It was like he was the walking, talking _Being Cool for Dummies_book.

_Your heart is in the right place; follow it._Wong had said.

_Looks aren't everything. You could do better._Kathy had said.

Maybe they were right. But Mira also remembered what her mother told her:

_Opportunities to do something great only come once in a while. Don't let them slip. Remember the phrase: once in a blue moon._

Mira promised she would never forget. And she never did.

Mira and Derek finally stopped at a bridge over the water. They looked out at the scenery. Mira seemed to be admiring it more than Derek did.

"I'm going to get some ice cream." Derek announced. "Want any?"

"No thanks." Mira shook her head.

"Alright." Derek nodded. "I'll be right back." He walked off to the ice cream cart nearby.

Mira stuffed her hands into her pockets, sighing. Her fingers curled around her phone in one pocket. In her other pocket...

Mira's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. She grabbed what was in her pocket and pulled it out. Mira stared at the object. It was a black cord with a rock on it. It was a pretty rock; white, smooth as silk, and round. Wire was wrapped around the rock and attached to the cord. Also in Mira's pocket was a note. She opened it and read it to herself.

_Dear Mira,_

_I found this when you and I went to the park the other day. I collect rocks back at home. I saw this one and grabbed it. I figured that we managed to get away from Gargamel because you're brilliant, of course, and I think this rock is lucky. When I heard that Derek boy asked you on a date, I figured a little luck wouldn't hurt. So I made this rock into a necklace for you. I would've given it to you in person, but I got nervous. So, here ya go! Good luck on your date! That Derek person is really lucky. He gets to spend time with you._

_Have a smurfy date!_

_Clumsy_

Mira stared back and forth between and necklace and the letter. _Clumsy...made this for me?_She thought. A beautiful rock that would look great in his collection, and he decides to make it into a necklace for her. And he writes a note to her because he was too nervous to give it in person. He called her "brilliant" and claims Derek is lucky to be with her. No matter how much pain she inadvertently (and/or purposefully) caused, Clumsy was still kind and caring. Mira tucked the note away and tied the necklace around her neck. It was a pretty little rock. Mira smiled and gently touched the stone. When she looked up, she noticed Belvedere Castle in the distance. Instantly, her smile faded. Papa was hurt. He could be dead right now and she was acting like she didn't care. The Smurfs depended on her and she let them down. Her mother was once a part of the Smurfs' family. Willow loved them; if it had been her in this situation, she would've gotten the essence much sooner. She would be ashamed right now. Mira sighed, instantly beating herself up for her decision.

"Hey." Derek called as he walked up.

Mira turned to him. "Hi Derek. Listen, I know this may seem rude, but...I just got a call from my aunt. She needs my help at home."

"You're leaving?" Derek asked.

"Someone in my family needs my help." Mira explained. "I have to go."

"You can't leave." Derek snapped. "I'm supposed to take you home at 8. I decide when the date is over. That's how things work."

"I'm sorry, but I have to go." Mira insisted as she turned to leave.

"You're gonna pick you're freak show family over me?" Derek demanded. "There are other people to be there for Sir Sickly."

"You don't understand." Mira snapped, walking back up to Derek.

"No, _you_don't understand." Derek said, glaring. "Once I date a girl, they get one chance to prove themselves on the first date. So far, you've been doing pretty well. A few minor changes here and there and you'll be perfect. Now, you'll have to make the final decision: stay with me and I'll make our relationship official. Leave, and there are no second chances."

Mira stared at him, shocked and angry. "You expect me to choose between my family and you?"

"Yeah." Derek nodded. "What'll it be?"

Mira sighed through her nose. For a moment, she was silent. Then, she smiled warmly.

"It's obvious what my choice must be." Mira said, gently brushing back Derek's hair. "I have just one thing to say."

"What's that, babe?" Derek asked.

"Kiss my Smurf." Mira snapped.

"What?" Derek asked.

Mira gave Derek a hard shove. Derek shouted as he fell over the railing of the bridge and into the water below with a large _SPLASH!_Mira flipped her hair and walked away briskly. She smirked triumphantly as she set her sights for her new destination: Belvedere Castle.

"La la, la la la la." She sang softly. "Sing a happy song."

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Mira jumped. She looked through the trees and saw a group of familiar blue beings running at full speed down the path. Farther down the road resonated the shouts of a very angry wizard and his cat.

"Smurfs!" Mira called. "Over here!"

Gutsy noticed Mira first and directed everyone towards her. Mira bent down to meet them.

"We need help!" Brainy shouted. "Gargamel and Azrael are after us!"

"What do we do?" Smurfette asked hurriedly. Mira looked up and saw Gargamel searching for the Smurfs, and she instantly got an idea.

Azrael sniffed around as he ran until he hit Mira's feet. He yowled as he jumped back.

"You!" Gargamel shouted. "Young man! Have you seen any little blue men?"

Mira kept her face hidden under her hat. "You crazy, man?" She said in a deeper voice.

"I'm not crazy!" Gargamel shouted. "Azrael, search his bag!" Azrael jumped into Mira's paper bag, moving around a bit before jumping out again.

"Merow!" He reported.

"Fine." Gargamel grumbled. "Goodbye kind sir." Gargamel and Azrael walked off. "No, I'm not crazy Azrael. These people are crazy."

"Merow row!" Azrael meowed.

"Yes, I realize it was a boy in a girl's shirt!" Gargamel snapped. "As I said before, the people in this realm are insane."

Mira waited until Gargamel was out of sight and took off the hat on her head and tossed it back into her backpack.

"You guys ok?" Mira asked as she helped the Smurfs out of her backpack and into her book bag.

"We're fine." Dabbler nodded.

"A little roughed up." Hefty admitted. "But we're smurfy."

"We are _not_ smurfy!" Grouchy shouted. "We didn't even get the Smurf essence!"

"That's what I'm here for." Mira said. The Smurfs stared at her.

"Really?" Smurfette asked. "What happened to your date?"

"Turns out he was a complete idiot." Mira huffed. "He wanted me to choose between him and my family. So I told him he could kiss my Smurf."

Grouchy laughed. "That's my girl!"

"I thought you didn't care." Gutsy noted.

Mira smiled softly. "Let's just say I had some sense knocked into me." She gently touched the rock on her necklace. "Now come on." She picked up her bag and started running towards Belvedere Castle.

"Let's get that Smurf essence."

"Wait!" Dabbler shouted.

"What?" Mira asked as she stopped.

"Don't bother going for the essence." Brainy said sadly.

"Why not?" Mira asked, confused. "I thought you said that we need the essence to save Papa. Come on; I finally realize my mistakes and you won't let me fix them?"

"It's not that." Hefty said.

"Then what's wrong?" Mira asked, concern etched in her voice.

"We were already at the castle." Gutsy explained. "But the Smurf essence was gone."

Mira stared at the Smurfs in her bag. "It's gone?"

"We never found it." Smurfette said.

Mira felt her knees wobble a little, and she slowly sat down on a bench, clutching her bag in her lap. "But that means..."

"Our only hope to save Papa," Gutsy nodded. "is gone."


	9. Battle Plans

**Chapter Nine- Battle Plans**

Mira sighed in defeat. If the Smurf essence was truly gone, then there was nothing they could do. What's worse, now Gargamel knew that more Smurfs were here besides Clumsy. Until the portal could be opened again, the Smurfs either had to be extra careful or never leave Patrick and Grace's apartment again. Neither option sounded pleasant.

"So where do we go from here?" Mira finally asked.

"Back to Papa." Gutsy said. "So we can spend a little more time with him before he's gone."

Smurfette looked close to breaking down, but she found that she truly had no more tears to cry. Mira slowly stood up and started walking down the path, cradling her bag of books and Smurfs in her arms. The Smurfs stayed silent on the way. Hefty shook a little. Then, he punched a minute hole in the bag before slumping to the ground and burying his head in his hands. Gutsy put a hand on the athlete's shoulder comfortingly. Dabbler put an arm around Smurfette's shoulders, pulling her into a protective embrace. Brainy glanced towards the books and his eyes widened.

"You have spell books!" Brainy exclaimed. "And you can do magic! Maybe you can heal Papa!"

Dabbler shook his head. "Only the essence can save him. It's true that we'd need a spell to use it, but it's all useless without the essence." Brainy's face fell.

Mira frowned. "There's something I still don't understand."

"What's that?" Gutsy asked.

"I don't understand where these powers of mine came from." Mira said. "It's like they just came to me yesterday."

"Well, what have you been doing the last few days?" Smurfette asked.

"Nothing out of the usual." Mira answered.

"Think hard." Brainy instructed. "Has anything unusual happened in the past few days?"

Mira thought for a moment. The most unusual thing that had happened was that she met the Smurfs and put an IV in one of them. But apart from that, it seemed like nothing odd had given her these powers. Then, something stood out in Mira's mind; something that happened when she, Gutsy, Hefty, and Brainy were last at Belvedere Castle. The shield she created and the blast she launched were both blue, like the color of the Smurfs' skin.

Blue...

The Smurf essence!

Mira suddenly remembered that, when she and Clumsy went to Belvedere the first time, she had found that flask of blue liquid and took a sip of it. It had to have been the Smurf essence; and by drinking some of it, Mira gained powers. _It's a good thing I didn't drink the whole thing._ Mira thought in amusement. _I might've turned into an actual Smurf._

Then, something clicked in Mira's head.

"What does Smurf essence look like?" Mira asked suddenly.

"Uh...it's blue and it's a liquid." Brainy said. "It also sparkles a little."

Mira's eyes widened and she suddenly broke into a sprint. "We gotta get home!"

"Why?" Hefty asked. He and the Smurfs yelped as they bounced around in the bag.

Mira didn't answer. She kept running and running, not stopping to catch a cab. The Smurfs didn't have a chance to speak because they were bouncing around so much. Mira burst through the door to the apartment building and went charging up the stairs. The Smurfs yelped and shouted as they were jumbled and tossed around in the paper bag. Mira unlocked the door to Patrick and Grace's apartment as fast as she could. She thoroughly surprised Grace as the soon-to-be mom was washing dishes in the kitchen. Mira didn't listen when Grace asked what was going on. She dumped the Smurfs out of her book bag and rushed towards the office. She grabbed her backpack from the corner and started grabbing things and tossing them aside. Finally, she found what she wanted and went running back to the Smurfs and Grace.

"Is this it?" Mira asked.

Dabbler stared at the thing in Mira's hand. Then, his eyes widened. "That's...this is..."

"The Smurf essence!" Brainy finished happily.

"I knew it!" Mira cheered. "I must've thrown it in my bag by mistake!" She turned and ran back to the office. "All of you stay here. I know what to do."

"What are ya doin'?" Gutsy asked.

"Just trust me." Mira assured. "Nobody bother me." Mira shut the doors to the office.

"Can we trust her?" Dabbler asked.

"Aye." Gutsy nodded. "There's not a doubt in my mind."

* * *

Mira grabbed "L'Histoire des Schtroumpfs" from her bag and approached Papa. She stopped when she saw Clumsy, asleep with his head on Papa's chest. Mira felt...uncomfortable...no, _unworthy_...to be witnessing such a tender scene. Little Clumsy, who had been so worried about Papa, had obviously been here most of the day. He never left his father's side. Mira was the same with her mother; she remained by Willow's side up until the day she died.

Mira knelt beside Papa and Clumsy. "Clumsy." Mira said softly, gently rousing the Smurf.

Clumsy moaned in his sleep and opened his eyes. "Mira?" He whispered as he lifted his head. "What're you doing here?"

"I need you to leave." Mira urged gently.

Clumsy instantly became wide awake. He shook his head. "No. No, I won't leave Papa."

"Clumsy, I can save him." Mira explained. She held up her book and the flask of Smurf essence. "I can't do that if you're in the way."

"I won't get in the way." Clumsy promised. He scooted backwards so he was two feet away from them. "I'll stay right here and won't bug you. I promise."

Mira didn't fight it. Clumsy was clearly not moving, and frankly, she didn't mind too much. Mira opened her book and started flipping through it until she finally found the spell she needed. She cupped one of her hands and poured some of the essence into it. She glanced into the book every few seconds as she spoke the incantation. It was in French, but Mira was so focused on the spell that she only picked up a few words; words like pain, heal, and help. She could only hope that that was good. As Mira recited the incantation, she noticed the blue liquid in her hand rise up and form a small sphere in the air that floated a few inches above her hand. By the time Mira had finished the incantation, the sphere had compacted into the size of a marble and started glowing.

"Clumsy, I need you to hold this." Mira said calmly. "Just stay there and I'll hand it to you." Clumsy nodded and the sphere was now floating in his hands. Mira cut away Papa's bandages before taking the sphere back. She moved her hands and let the sphere float down to Papa. Mira gently pushed the sphere down and it disappeared into Papa's chest.

"Is that it?" Clumsy asked.

"Yep." Mira nodded. "Let's just hope it works."

"Why wouldn't it work?" Clumsy asked.

"This spell heals wounds and cures sicknesses." Mira explained. "It can't bring back the dead."

Clumsy looked terrified as he stared at Papa, hoping and praying that he would wake up.

* * *

Everyone outside was restless. Patrick had arrived home and was given the entire story. He and Grace were on the couch, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and she glancing nervously towards the door every thirty seconds. Brainy was wringing his hat in his hands again. Dabbler was pacing across the table. Smurfette sat on the edge of the table, staring at the door. Gutsy, Hefty, and Grouchy sat together, trying to distract themselves, to no avail.

"What's taking so long?" Grouchy sighed. "I've had enough suspense these last few days to last a lifetime."

"We all have." Gutsy agreed.

"Magic's a delicate thing." Brainy said. "One wrong move and it could end disastrously."

"Gee, thanks for adding to the stress." Hefty said sarcastically.

"We need a plan." Smurfette said as she stood to face them.

"A plan for what?" Dabbler asked.

"To attack Gargamel." Smurfette said simply. Everyone stared at her.

"What are you talking about, Smurfette?" Patrick asked.

"I've had enough of Gargamel hurting our family." Smurfette said. "We need to find a way to keep him away from us until we can get home."

"How in Smurf's name do we do that?" Grouchy demanded. Smurfette became silent. It was clear what she wanted to do and her intentions were good; but how to accomplish this goal was a whole different story.

"Smurfette's right." Hefty agreed. "We just have to think this through."

"Gargamel doesn't have the essence." Brainy said. "But he still has the wand and the essence extractor. We have the essence, books of spells, and Mira, who can do magic."

"If you take away the wand and the machine, Gargamel does seem less dangerous." Patrick noted.

"Now how do we do that?" Dabbler demanded. "It's not like he's just gonna hand over the wand."

"Mira jammed a wrench into the machine." Brainy said. "That should buy us some time."

"But there's still the wand." Dabbler argued. "And Azrael."

"That doesn't mean it's hopeless." Gutsy said. "If Mira can do magic, then I'll bet ya anythin' that she has the guts to face Gargamel."

"How many times is she going to risk her life like that?" Grace groaned.

"She the only one who can do it." Hefty reasoned.

"So Mira takes care of Gargamel while we do...what?" Grouchy asked.

"Some of us have to take care of Azrael." Brainy piped up. "And it sure as smurf won't be me."

"What if half of us take care of Azrael," Patrick suggested. "And the other half destroys the machine?"

"Perfect!" Smurfette said happily. "It's sure to work!"

"So, to review." Brainy said in his lecturing tone. Everyone resisted a groan or sigh. "Mira will take care of Gargamel, half of us can take care of Azrael, and the rest of us will smurf Gargamel's machine into a pile of scrap metal."

"Dibs on the cat!" Hefty and Gutsy said simultaneously.

"I'm in!" Grouchy laughed.

"We'll be right behind you." Patrick promised.

"Mind if I come?"

Everyone turned to the speaker, and their jaws dropped.

Standing at the office doors, with his wounds gone, looking healthier than ever, and beaming with pride, was Papa Smurf.

"Papa!" the Smurfs cried.

Papa was suddenly tackled by a hug from Smurfette. He laughed as the other Smurfs gathered around, hugging and crying.

"My little Smurfs." Papa sighed as he held his children close. "Thank heavens you're all safe."

Mira came out of the office and slipped away into the kitchen. When she glanced towards Patrick and Grace, Patrick mouthed, "Thank you." Mira only smiled and nodded. Patrick and Grace turned their attention back to the Smurfs as they came back to the table. They were all still teary-eyed and smiling; even Papa still had joyful tears in his eyes. The Smurfs climbed onto the coffee table and stood before their human friends.

"Thank you Master Winslow." Papa said gratefully. "Thank you for protecting my family."

"Of course." Patrick nodded. "Your family is our family." Grace nodded in agreement.

"What happened to Mira?" Clumsy asked. The accident-prone Smurf was still by Papa's side, but he looked happier than he had been in days.

"She went into the kitchen." Grace said. "Mira!"

Mira peered around the corner. She suddenly seemed shy and nervous to approach Papa. After all, she had abandoned him for a cute boy who turned out to be a shallow, low-life idiot. She left Papa alone as he lay on his deathbed. When Papa turned to look at Mira, she shrunk behind the corner a little. She could remember her mom talk about Papa in her stories. It was almost like Willow had a crush on him.

"You're Mira, then?" Papa asked. "Willow's daughter?"

Mira slowly walked up to Papa and knelt down to be more eye-level with him. She nodded. "Yeah, Willow's my mom."

Papa nodded in understanding. "Well, that explains why I thought I was dead for a moment. You look so much like her; I thought I was seeing a ghost."

Mira looked at the ground. "Listen, I'm sorry. Everyone here trusted me to help you and I almost let them down. I came close to screwing up and it would've cost you your life. So...here." She pulled out a wooden spoon and handed it to Papa. "Hit me on the head as hard as you can." She closed her eyes and prepared for the pain. Papa looked back and forth between the spoon and Mira a few times before tossing the spoon aside.

"Smurf hug!" Papa called.

"What?" Mira asked. She yelped as the Smurfs all jumped onto her, knocking her to the ground. She laughed and held the Smurfs close. They, Patrick, and Grace laughed too. Mira sat up as the Smurfs finally got off her. Only Clumsy remained.

"Thank you." Clumsy said. "For saving Papa."

Mira smiled warmly. Then, she lifted Clumsy up and kissed his cheek. Immediately, Clumsy started blushing, his whole face going pink and purple. Everyone laughed at the little Smurf's expense.

Suddenly, there was a hard pounding on the door.

"Open this door!" someone shouted. "Surrender the Smurfs!"

Everyone stared in shock.

"Gargamel!" Mira whispered fearfully.


	10. Mira's Wings

**Chapter Ten- Mira's Wings**

Gargamel pounded on the door again. "Open this door before I blast it open!"

"Hide!" Grace whispered urgently as she herded everyone into the bathroom. She locked the door and put her ear against it.

"How is this a good hiding place?" Brainy asked. "Gargamel will corner us!"

"Shh!" Grace hissed. "I'm listening."

"We can get out through the window." Patrick suggested. He opened the window and looked out. But when he noticed the sheer drop, he pulled back. "Never mind."

"Isn't there a fire escape?" Mira snapped.

"It's under repairs." Patrick said.

"Brilliant." Mira groaned.

Suddenly, everyone jumped as there was an explosion. Gargamel had finally blasted the door down.

Gargamel stepped over the broken door and looked around, keeping an eye for anything blue. Azrael darted ahead, sniffing around like a hound dog.

"Find them, Azrael." Gargamel urged. "Find them all! I sense magic has been used here recently."

Mira quietly opened the bathroom door and peered out. She could hear Gargamel's footsteps and see his shadow as he snooped around.

"I have an idea." Mira said as she closed the door. "I'll distract Gargamel. You guys sneak out the door as quietly and quickly as you can. Go to Central Park; I'll meet you there."

"Are you sure?" Clumsy whispered worriedly.

"Positive." Mira nodded. She slipped out before another word could be spoken. She crept down the hallway and looked around the corner. When she saw Gargamel, she was quick to disappear. She waited a moment before looking again...

...only to have a dragon wand in her face.

"Where are they?" Gargamel growled.

"Who?" Mira asked, keeping her voice steady.

"The Smurfs, you little witch!" Gargamel shouted. "Hand them over or I'll stuff _you _in my essence extractor!"

Mira pursed her lips. She wasn't afraid; not by a long shot. But she had seen what that machine did to Clumsy. Who knows what it'll do to a human? "Alright. They hid in here." She led him down to the doors of the office and pointed to them. Gargamel shoved her aside and threw the sliding doors open. He stepped inside, looking around the room with a raised eyebrow.

"Where are they?" Gargamel demanded.

Mira suddenly jumped onto Gargamel's back, covering his eyes with her hands. Gargamel shouted, waved his arms around, and tried to hit Mira with the wand. The commotion could be heard all the way in the bathroom.

"We gotta go!" Gutsy urged. "Come on!"

Grace pushed the door open and rushed out, the Smurfs and Patrick following. They stepped over bits of the front door, Patrick keeping an eye on Mira and Gargamel. She was still on his back with him trying to throw her off like some crazed piggy back ride. Suddenly, there was a vicious snarl and a yelp, and Papa went running back into the apartment with Azrael right behind him.

"Keep going!" Papa called. "We'll catch up!"

"Come on!" Patrick hurried everyone out.

"What about Papa and Mira?" Hefty asked as they ran.

"They'll be fine!" Grace assured.

"I hear them, Azrael!" Gargamel shouted. "Get them!"

Azrael yowled as he chased Papa all around the apartment. Papa tried tossing things in the way, but nothing could stop the freakish feline. Azrael finally cornered Papa against a wall, growling as he prowled closer towards the Smurf. Papa pressed himself against the wall, desperately looking for a way out. Azrael came inches from Papa when something pulled on his ears, forcing him backwards.

"You leave him alone!" Clumsy shouted. Papa watched in shock as Clumsy's fleeting moment of bravery backfired; he was thrown from Azrael's back and started running as the cat chased him. Papa ran after them, climbing onto tables to get to the kitchen counter. When Azrael ran by, Papa jumped onto the handle of a pot, overturning it and watching as it fell on top of Azrael.

Mira jumped off Gargamel as the wizard crashed into a wall. He groaned as he fell backwards onto the couch.

"Come on!" Mira called. She scooped up Papa and Clumsy and ran out the door.

Gargamel shook his head to rid himself of the stars in his vision. "After them Azrael!" he groaned.

"Merow mow mow!" Azrael mocked from inside the pot. Eventually, they managed to come to their senses and went running out the door, down the hall, and down the stairs.

Mira peered out from behind the door to the stairs, making sure Gargamel and Azrael were out of sight before walking back to the apartment.

"What're you doing?" Clumsy asked.

"There's something I have to get." Mira said as she made her way to the office. She took a look around the wrecked apartment. "I'll have to clean this up later." She darted into the office and grabbed her suitcase, throwing out her clothes as she dug through it.

Clumsy yelped as he dodged a flying combat boot. "What are you looking for?"

"This." Mira said, holding up a small wooden box. It was half the size of a shoe box and lightly colored brown with a lock on the front.

"What's that?" Papa asked.

Mira didn't answer at first. A memory flashed before her eyes.

_FLASHBACK_

_"And Papa Smurf cried tears of joy, because his little Smurf was safe and sound." Willow finished._

_"Poor Clumsy." little Mira sighed. "All that bad luck, and then his mushroom was crushed by a rock!"_

_"Well, it's a good thing he wasn't in it then." Willow laughed._

_"Yeah." Mira sighed. She stared at the water they sat beside. "Mommy, will I ever see a Smurf?"_

_"I'm sure you will someday." Willow nodded, pulling her daughter into a side-hug. "It could happen when you're not even looking for them."_

_"Are they really as nice as you say?" Mira asked worriedly. "They aren't mean or anything?"_

_"They're shy." Willow admitted. "But very friendly. You can always trust the Smurfs, Mira dear. They're your friends."_

_"Are they my family?" Mira asked innocently._

_Willow smiled softly, petting her daughter's head. "Yes, Mira, the Smurfs are your family."_

_"Good." Mira smiled broadly. "I'd love to have a hundred siblings. Then you're never lonely!"_

_Willow laughed. She turned around and pulled out a small wooden box wrapped in a blue ribbon. "Mira, this is for you."_

_Mira's eyes lit up. She took the box and shook it a little. "What is it?" _

_"Something very important." Willow explained. "But you can't open it yet."_

_"Awww." Mira groaned. "When can I open it?"_

_"You have to decide." Willow said. "When the time comes, you'll know when it's really needed."_

_Mira held the box close. "How will I know?"_

_"Trust yourself." Willow instructed. "Listen to your heart."_

_Mira nodded, hugging the box to her chest. Willow pulled her daughter into a hug, softly singing her traditional Gaelic lullaby. Mira's eyes became heavy until she was finally asleep. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"My mother gave me this." Mira said. "She said I'd know when the time was right to open it." She pulled out a cord from inside the collar of her shirt; on the end of the cord was a key. She untied the blue ribbon from the box and used it to tie back her hair. Then she put the key into its lock and turned it. There was a _click_, and the lid opened quite easily. Mira set the box down so Papa and Clumsy could see in. Inside the box was a vial of greenish-blue liquid and a rolled-up note. Mira picked up the note first and read it to herself.

_Mira,_

_This may sound like a freaky prediction, but I bet by now you'll have met the Smurfs. Are they everything I told you about? I hope so. I know they'll take good care of you. Ask Papa Smurf; he's a very kind person. I should know. I should've told you earlier, but I never really had a chance. It's going to be very hard to believe, but I'm sure being with the Smurfs for a while might lessen the surprise. _

_I'm a forest sprite. I lived with the Smurfs for years. I had pointed ears like an elf and butterfly wings. The Smurfs were my family, just like you. I loved them very much; all my little Smurfs were like my own children..._

The letter went on, explaining Mira's life with the Smurfs, some of their adventures, and how she became a human; everything that Gutsy and Clumsy told Mira. Mira kept reading, her eyes filling with tears. _I miss her so much. _She thought. _All these adventures she had. If only she could've spent more time with the Smurfs._ Finally, it came to the vial.

_Mira, even though I took the form of a human, I was still a forest sprite on the inside. My wings were still there. And they carried on to you. But you couldn't hide your wings like I could. So I took your wings for a while. Drink this vial; all of it. When you want to conceal your wings, just focus on what you want them to do and they'll shrink small enough to hide under a shirt or coat. _

_Good luck my little one. You'll be wonderful. _

_Your mother, _

_Willow_

Mira looked at the vial and uncorked it. She sniffed it and instantly grimaced. "This smells terrible."

"Not every potion smells like roses." Papa chuckled. "I doubt it'll taste much better. Just plug your nose and down it all in one gulp."

"That's how Papa gets us to take our medicine." Clumsy said, his nose scrunching in disgust.

Mira sighed, plugged her nose, and dumped the vial's contents into her mouth. She swallowed and her face scrunched up. "Yuck."

"How do you feel?" Papa asked.

Mira suddenly jerked. She felt something growing from her back, pushing against her shirt. She quickly shed her shirt and let whatever was sprouting from her back move freely. She felt a little embarrassed to be in her jeans and sports bra (in front of two boys nonetheless), but she wasn't too concerned about that at the moment.

"Amazing!" Papa exclaimed.

"They look like Mama Willow's!" Clumsy said happily.

Mira turned to look behind her and stared. Directly below and between her shoulder blades was a large pair of butterfly wings. Clumsy was right: the wings were elegantly shaped, white, and had black spots. They were exactly like her mother's. And they were big; the tops of the wings were half a foot above her head and the bottoms were at her knees. She stretched them a little and tried flapping them. She flapped them harder and she found herself hovering a few feet off the ground.

"Cool!" Clumsy cheered.

Mira nodded. "Yeah it is!" She grabbed her black shirt, cut a hole in the back, and pulled the shirt on (with some difficulty) so the wings fit through the back. "Perfect. Now we need something else."

"What's that?" Clumsy asked.

"The spell to open your portal home." Mira said.

"But the blue moon can't be smurfed for weeks." Clumsy protested.

"Just trust me." Mira assured.

"I know the spell." Papa said. "We have to catch up with the others."

"Let's go!" Mira cheered. She picked up Papa in one hand and Clumsy in the other, placing them on either one of her shoulders.

"Where are we going?" Papa asked.

"Taking a shortcut." Mira answered as she climbed out the window to the fire escape. She ran up to the roof and stood back, putting a foot behind her and setting her sights for the edge of the roof.

Clumsy and Papa finally realized what she was doing. "Mira!" they shouted.

"As Gutsy would say," Mira laughed as she started running. "Smurfabanga!"

Clumsy and Papa clung to Mira's hair ribbon as she jumped off the roof. They shouted in fear as they fell. Mira flapped her wings and they arched upwards into the air. Mira whooped and laughed as she flew high up, hoping everyone down below either wasn't paying attention or thought she was a bird. She leveled out and turned to the terrified Smurfs on her shoulders.

"You guys ok?" Mira called over the wind.

Papa and Clumsy shook like a rattlesnake's tail, clinging to Mira's hair so hard that their knuckles were white. Mira only laughed, turning towards Belvedere Castle.

"Hang on to your hats!" Mira called as she flew faster.


	11. This Ends Here, This Ends Now

**Chapter Eleven- This Ends Here, This Ends Now**

"Keep running!" Brainy cried. "Gargamel's coming!"

"There's no way Gargamel can catch up to us!" Hefty scoffed.

"Get back here wretched Smurfs!"

"Every Smurf for themselves!" Brainy shouted as he ran faster.

Patrick glanced behind them and saw Gargamel running down the path after them, Azrael bounding a few feet before him. How they managed to catch up to them, Patrick didn't know. But he didn't have time to worry about it. He dove to the ground as a blast came inches from his head. Grace helped him up and they kept running.

"What do we do?" Dabbler asked in a panicked voice. "What do we do?!"

"We don't need another Panicky Smurf!" Grouchy snapped. "Just run!"

Grace led everyone on a detour and Gargamel disappeared from sight. They kept running until they managed to hide in some bushes. They watched as Gargamel and Azrael ran past them and breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're almost to the castle." Smurfette said. She pointed to the towers of Belvedere Castle a ways away. Patrick led the way, the Smurfs behind him and Grace taking up the end of the line, keeping an eye out for Gargamel. They managed to get inside the castle and down to the basement.

"This place is a dump." Hefty scoffed as he looked around the cluttered room.

"This machine looks pretty smurfy." Dabbler noted as he climbed onto the essence extractor. Suddenly, there was a flash, and he was gone. It was so quick and quiet no one noticed.

"Found the wrench Mira used." Brainy laughed. In a quiet flash, he was gone, too.

"Grace, keep an eye out." Patrick said.

"Let's destroy a machine!" Gutsy laughed. He jumped into the machine. Gears, springs, and various metal parts started flying out.

Smurfette laughed. Suddenly, a shadow passed over her, and she turned to see who it was. She screamed.

Everyone jumped and turned as Smurfette was suddenly thrown into a cage with Dabbler and Brainy. Gargamel launched a blast from his wand, picking up Smurfs to throw them into the cage. Patrick and Grace scrambled around to save them, but they were too slow.

"Aw, how cute." Gargamel laughed wickedly. "Trying to protect these little blue imps?"

Grace jumped with a small scream as Azrael appeared on a ledge near her head, snarling. Patrick held her close with one arm and grabbed a pipe in the other hand.

"Don't try to be a hero." Gargamel laughed. "It'll only get you killed." Patrick threw the pipe, but Gargamel blasted it aside. "See? I told you."

Gutsy suddenly jumped from the machine, running towards Gargamel. Azrael yowled and pounced, landing on Gutsy and pinning him to the ground.

"Leave him alone!" Grace shouted.

"Or what?" Gargamel taunted. "Are _you_going to stop me?"

Suddenly, the lights flickered and went off. They stayed that way for a few moments before flickering again and coming on. Gargamel looked around a moment. "What are you playing at?" He looked down and realized the cage of Smurfs were gone. "Where are they? Azrael! Find them!"

"Meroooooow!" Azrael whined. He still had Gutsy pinned to the ground.

Suddenly, half the lights went off. There was the sound of thunder. Everyone looked around as fast footsteps could be heard. Gargamel's head spun this way and that desperately searching for the owner of the feet. Patrick and Grace looked, too, but there was nothing to be found. Shadows appeared and disappeared. Azrael screeched and jumped into the air as something bit his tail. Gutsy stood and ran to Patrick and Grace.

"What is this?" Gargamel demanded.

He jumped when a pile of miscellaneous items crashed to the ground. "Azrael?" he asked worriedly.

"Gargamel..."

The wizard jumped again, pointing his wand in random directions fearfully. "Who's there?"

"Beware evil wizard..."

Gargamel whimpered a little. "I'm warning you! Come out or you'll face the wrath of the great and powerful Gargamel!"Something tapped on Gargamel's shoulder. He froze for a moment before slowly turning around.

Standing on a shelf, right at Gargamel's eye level, was a ghostly white Papa Smurf.

"Boo." Papa said.

Gargamel screamed in a high pitch, like a little girl. "Run Azrael! We're being haunted by Smurfs!"

Azrael shouted in fear as he and Gargamel ran as fast as they could out of the castle. Patrick, Grace, and Gutsy turned to the ghost Papa, only to see him cracking up laughing.

"I haven't had that much fun in centuries!" Papa laughed. "He's gone, Mira!"

Mira's head popped in from the window with Clumsy on her shoulder. "Hey guys! You all alright?"

"We're fine." Grace sighed. "But you scared us!"

"Dearest Aunt Grace," Mira laughed. "I believe that was the point!" She jumped in, flapping her wings to land softly on the ground. The cage of Smurfs was in her hand; she set the cage down and opened the door to set them free. Everyone stared at the butterfly wings on Mira's back.

"What are those?" Patrick asked.

"Long story." Mira waved it off. "I'll be happy to explain once we're all out of here."

"But I thought Papa was ok." Brainy said worriedly.

"He is." Mira nodded. "You'd be amazed what a little flour can do." To emphasize her point, Papa suddenly sneezed, and white powder flew everywhere.

"Let's smurf outta here!" Grouchy shouted. They started running towards the door.

"Not so fast!"

They skidded to a halt when they saw Gargamel and Azrael at the door. "You know, it's really funny to have thunder when the skies are clear."

"Back off freak show." Mira growled, standing in front of the group.

Gargamel's eyes widened. "A ghost! You're that nasty little forest sprite, Willow!"

"Close." Mira nodded. "Real close."

"Oh, I'll get you you little pest!" Gargamel launched a blast from his wand. Everyone dove in different directions.

"You want me?" Mira snapped as she flew out the window. "Come get me!"Gargamel went running after Mira.

"We have to help her!" Clumsy cried.

"I'll go help her!" Patrick said. "You guys take care of that machine!" He went running out the door. Grace trailed after him.

"Come on, Smurfs!" Gutsy shouted. "Let's show this thing whose boss!"

"Azrael!" Brainy shouted.

"What?" Smurfette asked. Suddenly, a familiar orange feline appeared, snarling and slashing his claws.

"Azrael!" the Smurfs shouted, scattering all over the basement.

* * *

Mira stopped suddenly as a blast nearly hit her. She turned in the air, hovering as she glared down at Gargamel.

"Who do you think you are, girl?" Gargamel growled.

"You're worst nightmare!" Mira snapped. She dive-bombed Gargamel, only to swerve as another blue lightning bolt was thrown her way. She somersaulted in the air and landed on her feet. She turned to find herself on the same battlefield the Smurfs fought Gargamel on. Gargamel was on the other side, holding his wand ready.

"So it comes down to this?" Gargamel mused. "A magic battle between an all-powerful wizard and a wannabe forest sprite?"

Mira stood firm and strong, glaring in determination. She glanced over at Patrick and Grace, waiting by the door. "Just you and me?" Mira asked Gargamel, though she kept her eyes on her aunt and uncle.

"Just you and me." Gargamel nodded. "It'll be nice to see you as a pile of dust."

Mira sighed through her nose as she turned her attention fully onto the wizard before her. _This ends here. _Mira thought. _This ends now._

"Bring it on." Mira challenged.

Grace and Patrick took a step back. "Can she do this?" Grace asked worriedly.

Patrick nodded. "I'm positive she can."

Gargamel threw the first blast, causing Mira to duck suddenly. She felt the heat of the blast as it came inches from her nose. She panted a little, amazed by the power. But she forced herself to calm down; she had to keep her head, metaphorically and literally speaking.

"Alright." Mira said. "Let's see if I know how to do this." She imagined two balls of energy, ready to fire at will. As she focused, two spheres appeared in her palms; small at first, but steadily growing to be the size of volleyballs. Mira's eyes lit up. "Alright!" She put the two spheres together and held them back. "Curve ball!" She pitched the large sphere like a baseball, sending it spiraling towards Gargamel. The wizard caught the sphere with his wand and threw it into the air, where it exploded.

"Very nice." Gargamel nodded. "Now watch how a real wizard does it." Gargamel used the wand again, muttering something in a foreign language. All the scattered golf balls, tiny spears, and cosmetic supplies were pulled towards him and into the air. The miscellaneous items suddenly went flying towards Mira. Mira summoned another force field, blocking the shower of blunt and sharp objects. Mira broke a piece of the stone railing and sent the chunk of rock hurdling towards Gargamel. The rock was blown to dust before it even got ten feet away.

"This is child's play." Gargamel taunted. "What chance do you think you stand against me? Give up now, and perhaps I'll spare you and you're pathetic little family."

"That would require you leaving the Smurfs alone." Mira noted. Gargamel frowned, and Mira scoffed. "That's what I thought."

"You know, you really shouldn't mess with things bigger than you." Gargamel said.

"I'm not afraid." Mira growled. "Hit me with whatever you've got."

Gargamel smiled wickedly. "Very well."

* * *

"Help!" Brainy screamed. "Crazy cat on the loose!"

"Be brave, Brainy!" Grouchy called. "Smurf him a good one!"

"Are you out of your smurfin' mind?!" Brainy screeched. Papa suddenly grabbed Brainy and pulled him

into a box. Azrael dove in after them, but the two Smurfs slipped out through a hole in the box. All the Smurfs gathered in a group.

"What do we do?" Dabbler cried.

"Smurf a grip on yourself!" Hefty snapped.  
"Don't panic!" Papa said quickly but calmly. "Gutsy and Hefty, you two and I will distract Azrael. The rest of you, smurf that machine!"

"Yes Papa Smurf!" The Smurfs chorused, happy to be saying that again. They split up as Azrael snarled and leaped for them once more. The Smurfs that were destroying the machine immediately got to work; gears, springs, and various pieces of metal went flying. Meanwhile, Hefty, Papa, and Gutsy busied themselves with the dodging of Azrael's teeth and claws.

Hefty grabbed a red cloth and held it up for Azrael to see. "Hey cat!" He waved the cloth around. "Come and get it!" Azrael went running towards Hefty and the cloth. Hefty stood firm and tall until the last second, moving the cloth aside in one, flourishing movement. Poor Azrael face planted into the wall.

Gutsy laughed. "Nice goin' Hefty!" Hefty bowed teasingly, but soon found himself running again as Azrael came to.

"Smurfs alive!" Hefty panted. "This guy never quits!" He jumped as Azrael's teeth came an inch away from his tail.

"Hold on, Hefty!" Papa called from the top of a box. He and Gutsy pushed on the box until it toppled over, landing between Hefty and Azrael. The cat skidded to a halt and ran the other direction as a few bowling balls rolled after him. Hefty watched Azrael run around the room and, when the cat came back around, threw some thumb tacks in the cat's path. Azrael yowled in pain, jumping into the air. He landed on the still rolling bowling balls and yelped, trying to stay on his feet. Papa, Gutsy, and Hefty winced as the cat crashed into a pile of tools.

"That's gonna leave a mark." Hefty chuckled.

"Aye." Gutsy nodded.

* * *

Mira flew up high, avoiding tree branches that tried to grab her. Gargamel feigned boredom as he controlled the trees, making one grab Mira's ankle and throw her to the ground. Weeds forced themselves through the cracks of the ground and wrapped around Mira's arms and legs. They coiled around her body until she became encased in a leafy cocoon. Gargamel smirked in triumph, but he tensed when the cocoon started smoking. It suddenly burst, blue flames and ash flying everywhere.

"Is that all you've got?" Mira shouted.

"You really don't want me angry, girl." Gargamel warned.

"Bite me, freak!" Mira launched a fireball, only to have it absorbed by the dragon wand.

"Very well." Gargamel mused. "Try and avoid this!" He thrust the wand towards Mira and his infamous blue lightning bolt came out. Mira stood her ground, holding her hands out and bracing herself. The bolt hit her palms and she was pushed back a few feet. But the electricity stayed in her palms, the energy gathering there. The force from the energy pushed against her, threatening to knock her to the ground. Mira struggled to stay upright.

"Patrick, we have to do something!" Grace cried desperately.

Patrick nodded, but he was at a loss for a solution. He found a rock on the ground and grabbed it.

Gargamel noticed the stone flying towards his head and directed his bolt at it. The stone was reduced to dust. Gargamel gave Patrick and Grace a deadpan look. "Do you two have a death wish?"

"Maybe a little." Patrick shrugged, searching for another weapon.

Gargamel was about to snap at him, but then he noticed Mira hadn't attacked yet. He turned to see Mira still standing. The sphere of energy in her hands dissipated down until it disappeared. Mira took a breath to calm her racing heart.

"Amazing." Gargamel said. "Truly incredible. You're powers are simply boundless."

"So I guess you'll surrender now?" Mira suggested in a stern voice. It sounded more like an order.

"Of course not, you silly sprite." Gargamel laughed. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Yep." Mira bobbed her head, smirking.

Gargamel glared, but then ducked to avoid another rock. "Seriously, stop that!"

Mira took advantage of the distraction and shot her hand forward. Electricity streamed from her fingertips and grabbed Gargamel. She lifted him into the air and threw him into a tree. He hit the ground with a _THUD_, but soon crawled back up, seething with rage.

"You are going to regret that." Gargamel growled. "You are going to regret that _very_much."

* * *

"Are you done with that machine?" Papa called. He turned and whacked Azrael with a metal rod. "We can't keep this up forever!"

"Just about!" Brainy called. "By my calculations, this thing will be so destroyed you might as well use it as a paperweight!"

"Less talking!" Grouchy snapped. "More destroying!"

Gutsy swung in on some string and planted his foot in Azrael's face. Hefty grabbed more string and lassoed it around one of Azrael's paws. Papa did the same with another paw. They pulled at the same time, forcing Azrael to trip, somersault, and land on his back. Gutsy jumped onto Azrael's stomach and looped string around the cat's paws, hogtying the feline in seconds. When he finished, Gutsy jumped down.

"Time!" He called.

Hefty laughed and gave Gutsy a good-hearted slap on the back. "Atta boy, Guts!"

Suddenly, they heard a scream from outside.

"That did _not_sound good." Clumsy whimpered.

"Come on!" Papa urged. He and the Smurfs ran off, all of them worried sick over what Mira was going through. When they reached the door, they were forced to stop suddenly as their vision was momentarily clouded with a bright light. Patrick and Grace stood to the left of the door, surrounded by a blue shield. Gargamel threw bolt after bolt at Mira, pausing briefly now and then to throw one at Patrick and Grace. Mira had to divide her attention between protecting herself and her aunt and uncle from the attacks. By the look of things, Mira was losing.

"We have to do something!" Gutsy cried desperately.

"Like what?" Dabbler asked, just as desperate.

"Clumsy, get back here!" Brainy shouted.

The Smurfs watched, horrified, as Clumsy ran into the battlefield. He bravely approached Gargamel and sank his teeth into the wizard's foot. Gargamel's attacks stopped, giving Mira a chance to rest. Though her vision was slightly hazy and she was dizzy, she stayed on her feet. Gargamel snatched Clumsy before he could run away, holding him tightly in his fist.

"Put him down!" Papa shouted. He started towards Gargamel.

"Any of you come any closer and I'll turn him into a pile of blue dust." Gargamel threatened, pointing the dragon wand at Clumsy. Papa stopped, right next to Mira.

"Touch him and you'll have me to answer to." Mira countered.

"If you truly care about the little beast," Gargamel said, taking a step back. "I suggest you stay back. You are in no position to be giving orders."

Patrick took a step forward, but Mira held up a hand to stop him. "You will let him go now or suffer the consequences." she commanded.

"I would _love_ to see you try." Gargamel laughed. "Even If you did attack me, you'd also be hitting him." He gestured to Clumsy, still fighting to break free. "You wouldn't take that risk." He paused. "Or _would_ you?"

Mira's eyes locked with Clumsy's for a moment, then narrowed in determination. A ball of electricity formed in her palm.

"Mira, what're you doing?" Papa asked worriedly, placing a hand on Mira's shoe. Mira didn't answer; meanwhile, the sphere grew to be as big as a soccer ball. Mira held it back, next to her chest, ignoring the shouts to stop and Papa climbing onto her foot to try and stop her. She threw the sphere like a baseball. Gargamel prepared himself, watching the sphere...

...fly right over his head and hit a tree behind him.

Gargamel laughed as he turned. "What kind of aim was—"

POW!

Mira's fist suddenly collided with Gargamel's nose, knocking him backwards with such a force that he fell on his back and accidently threw Clumsy into the air. Mira flew up (unaware that Papa was still clinging to her jeans) and caught the little Smurf in her hands, landing softly on a stone wall. She set Clumsy down next to Papa, who pulled the younger Smurf into a protective embrace. Clumsy gladly returned the hug, shaking slightly from the terrifying experience.

Gargamel pushed himself to his feet, resetting his deformed and broken nose.

"How dare you?" Gargamel growled at Mira. "How dare you punch me in the nose?!"

"That was your nose?" Mira sassed. "It looked more like a target."

Gargamel tried to throw a blast, but nothing happened. He tried again and again, to no avail. "No! I can't be out! What was I thinking? Wasting my magic on a winged freak like you?"

"I'm a forest sprite." Mira snapped. "And I just beat you to the ground."

"I haven't lost yet!" Gargamel shouted. "Is that the best you've got?"

"You want more?" Mira shouted. "Take this!"

Papa suddenly noticed the crafty smirk on Gargamel's face. "Mira, wait!"

Mira launched another blast from her fingertips. Gargamel stood his ground and held the wand out. The blast went into the mouth of the dragon and disappeared, much to everyone's shock, especially Mira's.

"Oops." She whimpered a little.

"Why don't _you_ take _this!_" Gargamel sent the blast back, aiming for Papa on the wall.

"Papa!" Clumsy shouted. "Look out!" He shoved Papa aside as the blast hit stone. The wall exploded, crumbling to chunks of rock. Mira, Clumsy, and Papa fell backwards. Mira desperately tried to flap her wings and catch herself, but a rock hit her head and forced her to fall headfirst. The three of them fell into the water behind the castle, rocks tumbling after them.


	12. Saying Goodbye

**Chapter Twelve- Saying Goodbye**

"Mira!" Grace screamed. Gutsy ran off towards the broken wall and disappeared over the rocks.

Gargamel laughed and turned to the humans and Smurfs that remained. "And now, to finish off the last of my problems." He pointed the wand at them, and everyone flinched. But nothing came. Gargamel tried again multiple times, but soon realized it.

"Uh oh." Gargamel said. "Out again."

"Oh really?" Hefty mused, cracking his knuckles.

Gargamel knew what was coming next. "Now, let's not get testy. Don't do something you'll regret."

"We won't regret this." Smurfette assured.

"Stay back you cretins!" Gargamel warned.

"Charge!" Brainy shouted. He and the Smurfs ran forward, jumping onto Gargamel and biting and hitting him. He yelped and shouted, calling the Smurfs names that would make his mother wash out his mouth with soap. Patrick and Grace laughed at the spectacle for a moment before Patrick decided they were done.

"Heads up guys!" He called as he jogged over. The Smurfs jumped away and Patrick planted his fist into Gargamel's face. The wizard fell backwards, finally unconscious.

Patrick rubbed his knuckles. "Hard head."

* * *

Mira opened her eyes to only see bubbles. After the bubbles, she realized that she was breathing water instead of air. She fought to see anything, trying to figure out if she was upside-down or not. Her hand hit a rock and she grabbed it. Mira pulled on the rock, forcing herself upwards and breaking the surface. She gasped deeply, sputtering and struggling to stay above water. She couldn't even see the bottom of the water she was in; it took a few minutes to gather her bearings and find ground she could stand on.

"Papa?" She called. "Clumsy? Where are you?"

Papa suddenly burst through the surface with a gasp. He coughed water from his lungs.

"Papa?" Mira asked.

"Mira!" Papa shouted as he tread water. "Over here!"

"Where's Clumsy?" Mira asked frantically.

Papa pulled himself onto a rock and looked around, but he couldn't see the accident-prone Smurf anywhere. "I don't see him!"

"He can swim, right?" Mira sounded more worried than she had ever been in her life.

"Yes." Papa nodded. "But the water's too dark! I don't know where he is!"

Mira dug a hand into her pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. "I'm so glad I carry this around." She shined the light into the water, scanning every square inch for blue or white. Papa suddenly noticed something and wordlessly jumped into the water.

"Papa!" Mira shouted.

Papa swam down, keeping his eyes glued to the spot where he had seen it. Mira's flashlight shined over where he swam, giving him brief flashes of his intended target: a blue arm sticking out of a pile of rocks. Papa reached down and grabbed the arm. He pulled on it, only to find the body attached stuck tight. Papa pushed against the rocks, trying to unbury Clumsy. He tried to hurry; Clumsy's arm wasn't moving, so he was either unconscious or...

Papa felt his lungs were on fire. He forced himself to leave Clumsy and swim back to the surface to breathe.

"Papa, what's wrong?" Mira asked hurriedly. "Where's Clumsy?" Papa dived down without answering, swimming hurriedly to where Clumsy was. He resumed his attempts to uncover his little Smurf. Suddenly, the rock he was pushing on became lighter, moving aside with ease. Papa looked over and saw Gutsy swimming beside him. The Scottish Smurf worked hard, pushing aside more rocks so more of his accident-prone brother could be seen. Papa helped, both of them working fast. Mira, who had followed Gutsy with her flashlight, shined her light on them so they could see. She didn't try to help; she wasn't sure how deep the water was and she couldn't even _see_Clumsy. The latter seemed the scariest part.

Finally, Gutsy noticed a white Smurf hat. Papa found white-clothed feet. Gutsy dug furiously and soon discovered Clumsy's head. Papa pushed the last of the rubble away. Gutsy hooked an arm under Clumsy's armpit and across his chest, clutching the smaller Smurf's shoulder and holding him close as he swam. Papa and Gutsy swam as fast as they could, but the lack of oxygen deprived their muscles of proper functioning.

Mira finally noticed Gutsy and Papa, struggling to swim to the surface with Clumsy. Mira stuffed her flashlight into her pocket and reached down into the water. She cupped her hands and scooped the Smurfs up. They sputtered and coughed, water dripping off them. Mira gently set the Smurfs down on the ground. Gutsy lay Clumsy down on his back, pressing his fingers on the smaller Smurf's neck. Panicking a little, Gutsy put his hands on Clumsy's chest and started chest compressions.

"Come on, Clumsy." Papa whispered, clutching Clumsy's hand. "Please wake up."

Mira watched, worried beyond all belief, as Gutsy continued CPR. But Clumsy's eyes remained closed and his chest unmoving.

"Clumsy, you've got to wake up." Mira pleaded softly. "Please."

Gutsy pressed hard against Clumsy's chest, hoping the compressions would restart his heartbeat soon. Small beads of sweat ran down his forehead from overexertion. He listened for a breath and checked for a pulse. But there was nothing. He pounded his fist against the ground.

"Smurfit, laddie, you can't die now!" He growled.

Mira suddenly got an idea. "Gutsy, Papa, move."

"Why?" Gutsy asked.

"Just trust me." Mira insisted. She gently pushed Papa and Gutsy aside. "Clumsy, this may hurt a little." Mira placed her index fingers onto Clumsy's chest. She pressed down, sending electricity throughout Clumsy's body. Clumsy's eyes shot open. He coughed and choked. Mira helped him roll over on his side as water poured from his mouth. Papa breathed a sigh of relief, pulling Clumsy into a hug.

"Don't _ever _scare me like that again." Papa said. His voice was stern, but laced with concern.

"Same here." Mira said in the same tone. She picked Clumsy up and held him close. There was a wolf whistle from across the way. Mira, Clumsy, Papa, and Gutsy looked up to see the rest of the Smurfs, Grace, and Patrick standing by the remains of the wall. The Smurfs smirked, keeping their eyes on Mira and Clumsy.

"Oh shut up." Mira growled as she set Clumsy down. She, Gutsy, Clumsy, and Papa crawled their way over the rocks to join their friends. Grace pulled Mira into a hug, squeezing her tightly. Patrick wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"Guys," Mira whined. "I can't breathe."

"You scared us to death." Patrick said.

"Are you ghosts, then?" Mira joked.

"Oh Clumsy!" Smurfette cried, tackling the sopping wet Smurf in a tight hug. The rest of the Smurfs joined in.

"Don't ever smurf that again!" Brainy snapped, immense relief etched in his voice.

"I don't think I can promise that." Clumsy said innocently.

"Where's Gargamel?" Papa asked.

Hefty jabbed a thumb behind him. "Over there." Everyone turned their attention to the still unconscious wizard.

"Would you look at this place?" Mira groaned as she stared at the ruins of the castle.

"If anyone finds this place like this," Patrick said. "I'll bet you anything it'll be trouble."

"What if we just leave Gargamel and Azrael here?" Grouchy suggested. "They can take the blame."

"Grouchy, that's not very smurfy." Papa scolded gently.

"We can't leave him like this." Mira agreed. "We certainly can't leave this place in this state." She knelt down next to Papa. "You wouldn't happen to know a clean-up spell? I don't have one off the top of my head."

"So much for the spell books." Brainy scoffed. Mira shoved him to the ground.

"I know one." Papa nodded. "A very simple spell."

"Good." Mira's head bobbed. She picked up Papa and walked to the center of the balcony. Papa whispered the spell to her. Mira held a hand out. "Wanna help, oh great Wizard Smurf?"

Papa chuckled and nodded. "Ready?" Mira nodded. She took a breath and focused.

Papa and Mira spoke simultaneously, "_Fix this room and make it right, make this place a pleasant sight._"

All around the two magic wielders, Belvedere Castle fixed itself. Broken pieces of stone reassembled as though they were brand new; the Smurfs, Grace, and Patrick jumped away as the wall rebuilt itself.; the golf balls, cosmetic supplies, and tiny spears gathered up in a neat pile; even the broken bowling ball became whole again. Once the spell was complete, Belvedere Castle was beautiful again.

"Well done Mirabelle." Papa complimented.

Mira smiled proudly, not minding that Papa used her full name. "Thank you."

"Great." Gutsy nodded. "But what do we do with King Numptie 'ere an' his cat?"

"We'll take him to his home." Mira said. "I'll literally throw him back to whatever hole he came from."

"That would require opening the portal home." Dabbler reminded her. "We can't do that yet."

"I beg to differ." Mira said with a crafty smile.

* * *

"Is it ready?" Dabbler asked impatiently.

"Almost." Papa nodded as he and Brainy worked on the potion.

"I still don't think this'll work." Brainy said in his know-it-all tone.

"For once, I agree with Brainy." Grouchy piped up.

"If the stars aren't in the right position, the spell might not work." Smurfette noted.

"Even I have to admit," Papa sighed. "I have my doubts."

"Are ya sure you know what yer doin, lassie?" Gutsy asked Mira.

"Positive." Mira nodded as she knelt next to the potion. "I promised I'd help you guys get home. Plus, I think the Smurfs back hone would love to see their Papa Smurf again."

Papa smiled warmly. "Alright, the potion's ready."

"Here's the incantation." Brainy said, pulling the little paper from his hat. He handed it to Mira. "But I don't think it's going to work."

"Well, we can always try." Mira shrugged. She read the incantation to herself and then spoke it aloud. The blue potion glowed brighter and boiled ferociously. When Mira had finished, two streams of blue shot into the air; the force from the blast knocked Mira, Brainy, and Papa backwards. Everyone watched as the streams disappeared into the moon above. The pure white orb suddenly turned a gorgeous shade of blue. Jaws dropped and eyes widened in awe.

"You did it!" Clumsy cheered. Sure enough, the portal had reopened in the waterfall.

"But how do we know it'll lead us home?" Dabbler asked.

"I'll find out." Mira offered. Ignoring the others' protests, Mira jumped onto some rocks and dove head first into the portal. Her vision was flooded with swirling waters and blue. Moments later, she popped out the other end, doing a few flips to land on her feet on a rock ledge. Mira flapped her wings (thankfully, they had dried out by then) and flew down the path. She went as fast as she could, feeling flashes of warm sunshine hit her skin. Soon, she arrived at the entrance to the path. Just ahead was a group of familiar-looking mushroom houses. Smiling, Mira turned and flew back, down the dark path, through the portal, and back to New York.

"It's legit." Mira said happily. "Smurfs go first. I'll follow with Gargamel and Azrael."

Everyone glanced amusingly over at said wizard and cat, currently tied up under a tree. They were fighting to break free, shouting through the gags on their mouths.

"To the portal!" Brainy called. The Smurfs started towards the portal. Dabbler and Hefty left first, waving as they left.

"Thanks for everything!" Hefty called. He jumped into the portal and was sucked in. He whooped as he went.

"Smurf ya later!" Dabbler waved good-bye as he jumped after Hefty.

"Bye!" Patrick waved.

"Bye bye!" Grace called.

"You know, I'm not one for long good-bye's." Brainy said as though he were beginning a lecture. He pulled out a lengthy piece of parchment. "But I did smurf together a few words I'd like to say."

Grouchy rolled his eyes. Gutsy yanked the parchment from Brainy's hands. The two of them spun Brainy around and kicked him up into the portal, tossing his "few words" after him.

Brainy didn't complain this time. He laughed and called, "Bye!" as he disappeared.

"I hated this!" Grouchy said firmly. Gutsy put a hand on the grumbling Smurf's shoulder with a knowing smile. "...so much less than I expected." Grouchy finished.

"Bye Grouchy!" Patrick laughed.

"Don't get me wrong!" Grouchy assured as he jumped into the portal. "I still hated it! Just less!"

Gutsy laughed at his brother's casual yet grumpy attitude. He took a look around Central Park with a wistful look. "I'll not soon forget this place. 'Specially not with these!" He turned and lifted up his kilt, showing off his white, "I heart New York" boxers. He laughed and jumped into the portal. "Tallyho!"

"We'll see you on the other side!" Smurfette called. She turned to Grace as the human approached her, both smiling warmly.

"Hey girlfriend." Grace greeted.

"Wow." Smurfette breathed. "I've never had a girlfriend before." Smurfette's smile grew wider. "I'll never forget you."

"Oh, Smurfette." Grace sighed. She held up a hand. "High four."

Smurfette held Grace's hand. "High four, Grace." Smurfette reluctantly turned and walked down towards the portal.

"I'll be back soon." Clumsy said. "Smurf's honor."

"I trust you." Mira smiled. "But you forget, I'm coming with you to bring Gargamel. We're not saying good-bye yet."

"I guess." Clumsy said, rubbing the back of his head. He looked a little giddy and nervous.

Mira smiled and picked Clumsy up. She held him close to her cheek, kissing his head. Clumsy's face heated up and his cheeks turned red and purple. His eyes avoided Mira's. Then he noticed something.

"You found the rock." Clumsy realized.

Mira nodded. "I've had it on all night. I think you're right; it's lucky." Her smile disappeared a little. "Why was Derek lucky to be with me?"

"Because you're so...smurfy!" Clumsy said simply. "You're strong, brave, nice, and fun to be around."

"I made a lot of mistakes." Mira protested.

"I know I'm gonna start sounding like Brainy," Clumsy warned. "Papa Smurf always says, 'It's good to remember the past, but don't dwell on it'. Same goes when you think about the future."

Mira couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you, Clumsy." She held him close before setting the small Smurf down.

"Well, Master Winslow, thank you." Papa said gratefully. "You saved me and my whole family. I can't thank you enough for your help."

"Your welcome." Patrick nodded. "But I think it was the other way around."

Papa chuckled a little. "Well, I should get going. I've got a Smurf village to rebuild. You're village has given me some ideas."

"We better make sure Handy hasn't gotten a head start!" Smurfette called, laughing.

"Ah yes." Papa laughed. "A village to rebuild and Smurfs to see and take care of." He smiled at Patrick.

"A papa's work is never done."

Patrick smiled. He spread his arms. "C'mere."

Papa gladly returned Patrick's hug, burying his face in Patrick's jacket and swallowing the lump in his throat. He would truly miss this human friend. Of all the humans Papa had met, Patrick was, by far, the one human he connected to most. They were both fathers, after all. Patrick gave Papa a little squeeze, careful not to crush him. He sighed, a little sadly, as he pulled away.

"Goodbye Papa." Patrick said.

"Goodbye," Papa Smurf waved a little. "Papa." Patrick smiled warmly and nodded a little. Grace came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest, smiling all the while. Papa jumped down the rocks to the portal. He took Smurfette's hand in one of his and Clumsy's hand in the other. "Let's go home." Clumsy and Smurfette only nodded in agreement.

Mira passed Patrick as she followed the three remaining Smurfs. "Wait for me on the other side. I'll be there soon." Papa, Clumsy, and Smurfette nodded and jumped. The portal sucked them in, Clumsy getting caught in the swirling waters and spinning around as he did.

"You guys wait here." Mira said told Patrick and Grace. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Just don't freak out."

"We won't." Grace promised. "Just don't be too long, lover-girl."

"Lover-girl?" Mira repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing." Patrick said innocently. Mira reached down for the dragon wand, currently stuck in one of the belt loops on her jeans. Patrick started singing softly. "Mira and Clumsy sitting in a tree..."

Mira glared hard, but her cheeks were reddening. She took out the dragon wand and pointed it towards Gargamel and Azrael. Their bonds and gags disappeared. Before Gargamel could say or do anything, a blue train of smoke billowed from the wand and formed a cloud beneath the wizard and his cat. The cloud lifted them into the air. Mira smiled with mirth as she controlled the cloud. She literally threw Gargamel and Azrael into the portal. She waited until they disappeared, saluted to her aunt and uncle, and dove into the portal. She popped out on the other end and flapped her butterfly wings to stay in the air.

"Gotcha!"

Mira gasped as someone's hand wrapped around her legs. She struggled to get away, but soon discovered something surprising and a little terrifying.

Mira was the size of a Smurf.

"Well now, what do we have here?" Gargamel laughed as he kept a firm grip on Mira. "Not so strong now, are we?"


	13. Remembrance and Love

**Chapter Thirteen- Remembrance and Love**

"If you don't put me down," Mira threatened. "I'm gonna hit you so hard over the head your brains will come out!"

"Now, now." Gargamel warned, waving a finger at the forest sprite in his grip. "You are in no position to-OUCH!" He jumped, throwing Mira into the air. Gargamel kicked Hefty off his foot, sending the Smurf flying. Mira swooped down and grabbed the bulky built Smurf. She couldn't hold him in the air for very long, but she could slow their decent so they landed somewhat softly on the ground. Unfortunately, they stood on the edge of the cliff and Gargamel blocked their only exit. Mira looked behind her and noticed the portal closing. She still had the dragon wand in her hand; she quickly cast a simple spell on the portal-a spell that would keep the portal open until Mira herself closed it.

"When are you going to stop biting me?" Gargamel growled. Azrael hissed.

"Just leave her alone." Hefty said, putting himself between Mira and Gargamel.

"Or what?" Gargamel laughed.

"Or I blast you into next week." Mira threatened.

"You're magic is nothing now." Gargamel snapped. "What do you think you'll do? Tickle me?" He and Azrael laughed. "You know what? I'll give you one free shot. Hit me!"

Mira looked down, between Gargamel's legs, and saw the rest of the Smurfs hiding behind a rock. Papa pointed up at the ceiling. Mira's eyes locked with his; she pointed the dragon wand at the ceiling and blasted some rocks loose. They weren't large rocks; each about the size of a quarter. But when it hit Gargamel's head, he looked up in confusion, giving Hefty and Mira time to dart under him and make a run for it. Mira and the Smurfs ran down the path to the entrance of the cave. Gargamel's shouts echoed behind them and Azrael was getting closer.

"There's the entrance!" Smurfette shouted, pointing to the forest ahead.

"What do we do about Gargamel?" Clumsy asked. "He'll see the village!"

"This is a predicament!" Brainy panicked.

"No duh!" Mira snapped.

"I'll take care of it!" Gutsy announced. He ran ahead of the group and grabbed a length of vine. Mira realized what he was doing and flew to him, grabbing the other end of the vine. They let it go slack and waited for the Smurfs to pass before pulling on it. Gargamel tripped over the vine and face-planted into the ground. Azrael jumped over him and leaped for the Smurfs.

"Someone catch that crazy cat!" Dabbler shouted as he dodged Azrael's claws.

Mira flew down, grabbing Azrael's ear and yanking it to one side. Azrael directed his attention to Mira and chased her, snapping his jaws. Mira turned, pointed the wand at the cat, and shouted, "Dormir!" A puff of smoke went _POOF_in front of Azrael's face. Azrael coughed, and then his eyelids grew heavy. He stumbled and fell down, snoring a little as he slept.

"Nice one, Mira!" Papa cheered.

Mira pretended to hold a skirt and curtsied. "Thank you."

"You blasted little wretches!"

Everyone scattered as Gargamel resumed the chase. A hand suddenly grabbed Papa and pulled him behind a root.

"Tell me you know a spell to get him out of here." Mira asked desperately.

"You knew the spells to fight Gargamel and keep the portal open, but not anything else than that?" Papa groaned.

"I skimmed those spell books." Mira explained. "I paid attention to those spells because I knew I'd need them. I didn't account for shrinking when I came through the portal."

"I know a spell." Papa nodded. "You think you have enough power to do it?"

"I was thinking you could do it." Mira smiled weakly.

Papa rolled his eyes. "Give me the wand."

Mira gladly did so. "I'll distract him. Do your stuff."

Papa nodded and Mira flew off. She circled Gargamel's head like a fly.

"Get away you blasted little moron!" Gargamel shouted, trying to swat Mira out of the air. Mira stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. Gargamel tried to hit her again, but he suddenly found himself hovering in the air. He turned and saw Papa with the dragon wand, lifting Gargamel and Azrael into the air.

"Oh please, Papa Smurf!" Gargamel whimpered. "Have mercy!"

"No worries, Gargamel." Papa assured. "I'll make sure you land in your nice, soft bed."

"Soft?" Gargamel scoffed. Papa suddenly threw Gargamel and Azrael into the air, in the direction of the wizard's hovel. Gargamel screamed as he flew through the air. He crashed through his roof and landed on his bed, just as Papa promised.

"I..." Gargamel groaned, his voice growing louder with every word. "...hate...SMURFS!"

* * *

__"Well done, Papa." Mira complimented as she landed.

"Thank you." Papa nodded. He held out the dragon wand.

"Uh, maybe you should hold onto that." Mira suggested.

"Keep it." Papa insisted, pushing the wand into Mira's hands. "You'll need it to practice. You're gonna be a great sorceress someday." Mira smiled and jumped forward, wrapping her arms around Papa's neck. Papa chuckled and returned the embrace.

"Come on, guys!" Clumsy urged. "Let's show Mira the village!" He grabbed Mira's hand and started pulling her along. Mira laughed and went at first, but suddenly held back.

"Clumsy, I have to go back." Mira protested.

"Back where?" Smurfette asked.

"To Patrick and Grace." Mira nodded her head towards the Forbidden Falls. "They're waiting for me."

"Can't you stay for a while?" Gutsy requested.

"When's the next blue moon?" Mira asked Papa.

"Next year." Papa replied sadly.

Mira sighed. "I can't then. My dad may not care about me much, but he _will_care if I go missing for a year. Patrick and Grace might get in trouble."

"But you'll love the village!" Clumsy said happily. "The Smurfs would love to meet you. And you'll see the river and the Great Oak and Papa's lab and-"

Mira gently covered Clumsy's mouth. "I can't Clumsy. Not today, at least. But I promise I'll come back. Then you can give me the grand tour of this place." Clumsy's face fell.

Mira turned to the other Smurfs. "Thank you guys, for everything."

"Our honor." Gutsy said, bowing playfully. "We'll never forget you."

Mira pulled Gutsy into a hug. "Thanks, Gutsy. And thanks for never giving up on me when I acted like a total...you know."

"Not a problem, lassie." Gutsy assured, ruffling Mira's hair affectionately.

"Hey, what are we?" Hefty protested. "Chopped Smurf?"

Mira laughed. "I've got a hug for all of you." she assured as she hugged Hefty. "Way to keep a cool head. You're a good friend."

Mira looked towards Grouchy, but the grumpy Smurf quickly crossed his arms and frowned. "I hate hugs." Mira pulled him into one anyway, and Grouchy's face melted. "But I hate you leaving more." He sniffed a little and Mira wiped away a tear. It only made the lump in Grouchy's throat grow more.

Mira hugged Dabbler next. "You're a pretty good doctor. But Patrick was right; you didn't understand the medicine I used. I'm sorry for shouting at you. It was uncalled for."

"Yeah." Dabbler nodded. "But I guess I should've paid more attention. I'll remember that next time."

Smurfette tackled Mira in a hug from behind. "You just _have_to come back soon. I want to see what you look like in a dress."

"Are you serious?" Mira asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'd be surprised by Smurfette's persuasion skills." Brainy noted.

Mira rolled her eyes and hugged the brainiac. "You are such a nerd. But I'm really gonna miss you."

Brainy straightened his glasses and hugged Mira back, a smile on his lips. "Maybe someday you can show me your writing?"

Mira looked at Brainy over the edge of her glasses. "Someday." She nodded. She walked up to Clumsy, whose eyes were still on the ground. Mira moved so she could be in his vision and smiled. "I promise I'll come and visit next year. The portal will open again."

"It'll open every year." Papa assured.

"See?" Mira said. "I'll come in a week or two early and stay until the festival. Cross my heart." She made an X over her chest to emphasize the point.

Clumsy smiled at last. "Ok. I'll be waiting." He shook his head. "Uh, I mean, we'll be waiting. 'Cause I'm sure the other Smurfs will be happy to meet you and everything and, uh, you'll love he village in the summer, and uh..."

Mira rolled her eyes as Clumsy stuttered and stammered on. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in, planting a kiss on his lips. Clumsy's eyes widened and he became silent, even after Mira pulled away. His usually blue face turned pink and purple. Then, he started laughing a little, and he fell backwards.  
Mira and the other Smurfs laughed. Mira turned to Papa, and she felt her chest constrict. She hugged Papa tightly, burying her head in his shoulder.

"We'll see you next year." Papa promised. Mira only nodded. She pulled away, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. "Go on, now." Papa urged, gesturing to the Forbidden Falls. "They're waiting for you."

Mira nodded and took off. She turned to wave good-bye to the Smurfs until they disappeared from sight. Then she looked ahead, allowing a few tears to escape her eyes and fly off her cheeks. She didn't look back; especially when the portal came into view. Mira flew through the portal and shot out the other side. She landed softly on a few rocks before using her wand to close the portal.

"Welcome back." Patrick greeted. "You were gone for a while."

Grace noticed Mira's eyes were pink and wet. "What's wrong?"

Mira came up and hugged her aunt and uncle. "Nothing." She mumbled.

* * *

The Smurfs were trapped in solemn silence when Mira left. They remained that way for a long moment before Gutsy sighed.

"Well, that's that." He shrugged. "We'll not see her again fer a year."

"I'm really going to miss her." Grouchy said sadly.

"She affects you the same way Baby does, huh?" Brainy guessed.

"Smurf up." Grouchy growled.

"Come on." Papa said. "Let's surprise the others."

"Race ya to the village!" Hefty called cheerfully.

"Last one there's a rotten smurfberry!" Gutsy chimed in. The Smurfs started sprinting towards the village, none of them wanting to be the last one there. Papa held back when he noticed a Smurf missing. He turned and found Clumsy standing a ways off, staring in the direction Mira went. Papa walked up behind him and placed a comforting hand on the accident-prone Smurf's shoulder.

Clumsy slowly turned around. "I don't feel so smurfy, Papa."

"Oh really?" Papa asked, feigning confusion. He knew exactly what was happening, but he decided to play along.

"Yeah." Clumsy nodded. "My chest kinda hurts and my stomach is full of butterflies. My face feels hot and I feel dizzy. You think I'm sick?"

Papa smiled. "I think you'll be fine. You may feel a little unsmurfy for a few days, but you'll be fine." He jerked his head towards the mushroom houses peeking out over the hill. "Let's go home."

Clumsy nodded and followed Papa down the trail. "You think I'll need some medicine?"

"Oh yes." Papa nodded, fighting a laugh. "A couple slices of smurfberry pie and a few rounds of smurf ball ought to do the trick." Clumsy smiled. His mouth watered at the thought of Greedy's cooking; he hadn't eaten Greedy food in ages.

As Clumsy and Papa approached the village, they noticed a large group of Smurfs gathered around Gutsy, Hefty, Dabbler, Brainy, Grouchy, and Smurfette. Gutsy suddenly turned and pointed to Papa. When the Smurfs noticed Papa, there was a mix of responses: cheering, overjoyed tears, a few fainting Smurfs. Papa sped up a bit as he and Clumsy made their way down to the others. The Smurfs hugged Papa, tears in their eyes. The Smurflings jumped onto Papa and accidently knocked him to the ground. Farmer came up with Baby in his arms; Papa gladly took the little Smurf and held him close, not minding that Baby was tugging on his beard again.

"It's so good to see you again, Papa." Vanity sighed in relief. "I was starting to get worry lines."

"_And_we were concerned for your safety and health." Greedy piped up, casting Vanity a look.

"Ya'll scared us." Farmer added.

"Gargamel's fault." Clumsy said. "But Mira and Papa took care of him."

"Who's Mira?" Narrator asked. "Usually, I always know more than anyone else."

"She's amazing!" Gutsy said happily. "If only ya could've met her."

"Well, don't keep it all in!" Handy said. "Tell us about her!"

"I think we _all_have some explaining to do." Papa assured. "Why don't we head to my house? We can explain everything there."

* * *

__Mira sat on the fire escape, staring at the now snow-white moon. She shrunk her wings and laid them flat against her back, hiding them under her nightgown. A soft, warm breeze caressed Mira's face and blew her hair behind her. She sighed.

"Good evening."

Mira turned to see Grace at the window. "Hey."

"You doing alright?" Grace asked.

"Fine." Mira said softly.

"You don't sound fine." Grace said. "You miss them, don't you?"

"They were the closest thing to my mom." Mira nodded. "They were her family. By extension, they're my family."

"You'll see them again soon." Patrick assured as he appeared next to Grace. "A year will go by fast."

"Not fast enough." Mira said.

Patrick sighed. "Come on inside." He and Grace walked back in and made their way to the office. Mira climbed through the window and closed it behind her. She took one last look at the moon. Then she kissed her fingers and pressed them against the glass.

"What do you want to talk about?" Mira asked as she sat on the couch.

"We just want to talk." Patrick said. He sat down next to Mira and Grace sat in a chair. "We have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Mira raised an eyebrow.

"We e-mailed your dad." Grace explained. "We just got an e-mail back."

"And?" Mira asked.

"We've made an agreement with your dad." Patrick explained. "So you can spend the summers with us."

"Every summer?" Mira clarified. "Three months with you?"

"Yep." Grace nodded. "And you can spend a few weeks with the Smurfs before staying with us."

Mira's eyes lit up. "Really?" They nodded, and Mira nearly squealed as she hugged them.

"Also," Patrick said, pulling out something from behind his back. "I found this." He handed Mira a thick envelope.

"What is it?" Mira asked, feeling the stuffed paper.

"Not sure." Patrick shrugged. "You can tell us tomorrow." He and Grace bid Mira goodnight and left for bed. Mira opened the envelope and pulled out seven small pieces of paper. Upon reading them, Mira realized that they were from the Smurfs, written a few days ago.

_Mira,_  
_It's so smurfy to meet you! I hope you can help Papa. He means a lot to us. And I want to get to know you better. Girls gotta stick together, right? Maybe we could go shopping with Grace! Good luck working with Dabbler. He can be such a worry-Smurf._  
_Your friend,_  
_Smurfette_

_Mira,_  
_I may not know you very well, but if Patrick trusts you, then so do I. I know you'll be able to help Papa. You got guts, kid. I hope I get to know you better. I have a feeling we'll get along great. Good luck with Dabbler. He's a little hard to work with._  
_Your favorite Scots-smurf_  
_Gutsy_

_Greetings Mirabelle,_  
_Don't smurf me for using your first name. It just sounds so pretty. In all honesty, I wish _I _was the Smurf to help Papa. But, sadly, I have no medical knowledge to do so. So good luck. I am available for assistance. That is all. I also want to note that you are very pretty. Bye!_  
_Brainy_

_Hey Mira,_  
_When I first met you, I will admit you kinda scared me; and I ain't scared of...well, anything. But now I see that you're just a little rough around the edges. Like me. I'll do anything and everything I can to help take care of Papa. He means a lot to me and the other Smurfs. You understand, of course. Thanks for helping._  
_Hefty_

_Mira,_  
_I should let you know I hate writing letters and the other Smurfs are forcing me to do this. I hated you when you first came. But I'm starting to hate you less. Do _not _tell anysmurf I said that. It is strictly between us. To get to the point, I just want you to know that if you make Papa worse, I'll smurf your block off._  
_Grouchy_

_Mira,_  
_I want to thank you. I think this IV thing will really help Papa heal. I'm not the greatest doctor in the world, but I do know a lot. Don't tell the other Smurfs this, but I don't think Papa will make it. He's hurt too badly. I don't what I'll do if he dies. I'm scared. I know you probably don't like us much, but all I ask is that you do your best to save Papa. _  
_Dabbler_

The last one was from Clumsy. By then, there were happy tears silently streaming down Mira's cheeks. She wiped her eyes to read Clumsy's letter, her smile growing wider with every sentence.

_Dear Mira,_  
_Very smurfy to meet you. Thanks for helping Papa. I hope you can help. Do you know magic? Gargamel used magic to hurt us; I was just thinking that magic could heal Papa. But you're the expert. I was also thinking we could hang out sometime. You, me, and the Smurfs. Then maybe you would like us better. You don't seem to like us much. But we like you; I do at least. You've got some kindness in you. I want to get to know that side of you. The side that laughs and makes your eyes sparkle. _  
_Thank you for helping Papa._  
_Clumsy_

Mira put the letters back into the envelope and hugged it to her chest. She glanced out the window and stared at the starry night sky. Smiling, Mira lay down on the couch and pulled a fuzzy blanket over her. She fell asleep with smurfy dreams.

* * *

Clumsy stared at the star-filled sky through a window in Papa's mushroom. Gutsy was finishing his overly dramatic version of the Smurfs' adventure with Mira, Papa interrupting now and then to clarify a few facts. Clumsy listened for a while before he zoned out. He couldn't stop thinking about Mira, wondering if she was staring at the night sky like he was. Clumsy jumped when the Smurfs started applauding.

"Alright, my little Smurfs. Time for bed." Papa announced. Papa cradled a sleeping Baby Smurf for a moment before handing him off to Grouchy. Gutsy led the way as the Smurfs filed out of the house. Many Smurfs hugged Papa goodnight, obviously overjoyed that he was home, safe and sound. The last one to leave was Clumsy.

Clumsy hugged Papa, a few tears escaping his eyes. "I'm sorry Papa. For everything."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Papa assured, wiping Clumsy's eyes dry. "Going through that portal was a blessing in disguise."

"But if I hadn't led us down the wrong path in the first place," Clumsy protested. "Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"And then we never would've met Mirabelle." Papa noted. "And we may have never found out what had happened to Mama Willow."

Clumsy nodded a little. "I guess so. I'm really gonna miss Mira, Patrick, and Grace."

"As will I." Papa nodded. "They're good friends. And I'm sure we'll see them again."

Clumsy smiled, but it faded a second later. "I still don't feel so smurfy. I've been sick all day."

"Then why don't you come by my lab tomorrow?" Papa suggested. "We'll see what we can do."

"Thanks Papa." Clumsy yawned. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight my little Smurf." Papa waved as Clumsy journeyed to his mushroom, his feet dragging from exhaustion. Papa chuckled to himself as he closed the door. "Poor little Clumsy; lovesick and he doesn't even know it."

He chuckled again and walked up to his bed. The soft, feather-filled mattress was a warm welcome after spending a few nights in a strange place. Papa pulled the blanket over him. Before going to sleep, he reached under his pillow and pulled out a picture frame. The picture inside was a beautiful clearing next to a waterfall. Papa was on a picnic blanket with Willow. Her wings matched her white tank top and black skirt perfectly. She and Papa were laughing at a recently told story. That was the one year anniversary of the day Willow moved into the village. Greedy baked a feast and everyone went to the beach to celebrate. Painter made the picture Papa currently held. It was a truly magical day.

Papa smiled, fighting tears. He gently kissed the picture and placed it on his pillow. He lay down beside it, a wistful smile upon his face.

"Goodnight Willow." Papa whispered. "Rest in peace."


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_ONE YEAR LATER_

Papa hummed to himself as he continued with his usual morning route around the village. Everyone worked happily, preparing for the blue moon festival just a week away. Gutsy, Hefty, and Grouchy waved as they pulled empty wheelbarrows into the forest.

"Off ta find more smurfberries!" Gutsy called when Papa asked where they were off to.

"Greedy needs three wheelbarrow full's." Grouchy added.

"Yeah." Hefty laughed. "Two for the desserts and one for himself!"

Papa laughed and waved the boys off. He passed Painter Smurf painting a portrait of the Statue of Smurfette, the newest addition to the village. Soon after everyone had returned home, Handy shut himself in his mushroom and emerged a few days later with plans for apartments, the statue, and plenty more to make up for the damage caused by Gargamel and Azrael; all of it resembled what the Smurfs saw in New York.

"Very smurfy, Painter." Papa complimented.

"Ah, yes!" Painter sighed in his thick French accent. "A great masterpizza of an even greater masterpizza!" Painter wiped away a joyful tear. "She is beautiful, no? My greatest work evair!"

Papa nodded. "You did very well on the statue, Painter. Good work."

"Merci, Papa Smurf!" Painter bowed. He hurriedly went back to his painting after Papa walled off.

Papa made mental notes about each Smurf's activities: Farmer and Greedy running by, talking about a flying trip; Vanity, Tracker, and Handy discussing the setup for the stage; the Smurflings keeping an eye on Baby while helping Sweepy; Narrator working on his intro; Chef and Baker cooking away; Brainy flying over Papa's head and splashing into the river. Everyone worked hard to prepare for the festival, even though the celebration wasn't for another week. There was an awful lot to do.

Papa paused when he came to the river. He noticed a lone Smurf sitting on the banks of the water, absent mindedly sprinkling grass into the current. Papa sighed and carefully slid down to the Smurf.

"Clumsy?"

Clumsy turned to look up at Papa. "Hey Papa."

"You alright?" Papa asked as he sat down next to him.

"Yeah." Clumsy shrugged.

Papa raised a white eyebrow. "Clumsy Smurf..."

Clumsy sighed. "Ok, I'm not alright."

"Mira does keep her promises." Papa assured. "She'll be here."

"I know." Clumsy said glumly. "But the blue moon's in a week. What if she couldn't open the portal? What if she comes but she can only stay for a few minutes? Or she gets stuck here for a year?"

"Clumsy, stop worrying; you're acting like Panicky Smurf." Papa laughed as Clumsy came close to hyperventilating. "You don't know what will happen. Nobody does. Mira _will_come. I'm sure of it."

Clumsy took a breath to calm himself. "I hope so."

"Why?"

"Well, she promised. And I have something for her." Clumsy pulled out something from under his hat. "I made it in the forest while gathering smurfberries and thought she would like it." Papa took a look. Resting in Clumsy's hands was a crown made from daisies, similar to the ones Willow used to wear.

"It's very smurfy." Papa complimented. "But why didn't you give it to Smurfette?"

Clumsy shrugged. "I thought it would look better on Mira. Smurfette's crown would be gold with pretty rocks."

Papa laughed. "So true."

"Papa! Papa Smurf!"

Clumsy and Papa looked up to see Gutsy and Hefty running full speed towards them. Papa ran up the slope to meet them on the bridge. Clumsy stuffed the daisy crown back into his hat and followed.

"What's wrong?" Papa asked worriedly.

"We were in the forest gathering smurfberries." Hefty panted. "And Gargamel attacked us!"

"Where's Grouchy?" Clumsy asked hurriedly.

"We're gettin' ta that!" Gutsy said. He kept smiling broadly, despite the seemingly dangerous situation. "Grouchy was fightin' Azrael an' he got hurt!"

"Then _why_are you smiling?!" Papa panicked.

"Because we were saved!" Hefty cried happily. "We'll have to go back for the wheelbarrows, but you're not gonna believe who helped us!"

"Here she comes!" Gutsy called, pointing to the trees. Papa and Clumsy followed his point to a winged creature carrying Grouchy in her arms. Though the creature was too far away to see clearly, her white and black butterfly wings stood out easily.

"Mira!" Clumsy cheered.

The forest sprite landed softly on the ground, carefully setting Grouchy on his feet. Well, foot, rather; the other remained off the ground.

"I hate smurfed ankles." Grouchy said. Everyone laughed as they gathered around, each Smurf trying to get a better look at Mira.

Mira wore a black mini skirt and blue leggings; her white tank top looked white as fresh snow. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her sparkling sapphire eyes behind those darling black glasses stood out the most. Her wings, elegant as ever, seemed to glow in the sunlight. She changed, though; now, she stood only as tall as the Smurfs around her.

"Papa!" Mira laughed as she hugged the village elder. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, little Mirabelle." Papa said happily.

"Hey Mira." Clumsy waved shyly.

"Hey Clumsy!" Mira laughed. "Come here!" She pulled Clumsy into a bone-crushing hug. Clumsy looked both happy and like he was choking.

"So _you're_Mira." Vanity said as he approached. "My smurfness; aren't you just gorgeous!"

Mira's cheeks turned pink. "You think so?"

"Not as gorgeous as me, of course." Vanity said, staring into his mirror. "But I love how those leggings match your eyes!"

Mira turned to Gutsy. "Narcissistic much?"

"You have no idea." Gutsy laughed.

Mira laughed again and readjusted the duffel bag on her shoulder. "Well, I'd better find a tree or something to sleep in tonight."

"Nonsense!" Smurfette waved it off. "You'll stay with me."

"And then I'll give you a tour of the village!" Clumsy offered.

"I think _I_ should give the tour." Brainy protested. "I _am_the only one who can give all the explicit details of the village layout."

"What makes _you_smurf enough to lead a lady?" Tracker snapped. "If anyone, it should be me."

"Now, now my little Smurfs." Papa said firmly but gently. "I believe you all have jobs to do for the festival. So get back to work while Clumsy, Smurfette, and I lead the tour." He cast a glance at Grouchy, currently leaning on a post. "_After_I fix Grouchy's ankle."

* * *

Needless to say, not all of the jobs got done on time (or at all) that day. While leading the door, the Smurfs stopped what they were doing to wave or give googly eyes. It certainly didn't help when Mira waved cutely at them; most of the Smurfs fainted. Papa could only roll his eyes. If he couldn't stop Smurfette from flirting, he certainly couldn't stop Mira. That night, after the tour and dinner, Smurfette led Mira to her temporary home.

"For the thousandth time, I am _not_ teaching you _any_spells I know." Mira snapped at Brainy.

"Aw come on!" Brainy whined as he followed the girls. "If I'm gonna be the next Papa Smurf, I'm going to need all the knowledge I can get!"

"You own a library's worth of books." Mira pointed out.

"Those are my quotes!" Brainy protested. "They aren't spells!"

"I'll tell you what, Brainy." Mira said as they arrived at Smurfette's mushroom. "How about a trade? One spell for every day of work you do for me."

Brainy's eyes lit up. "Done! See you tomorrow, oh great sorceress!" Brainy bowed low before running off, a skip in his step.

"You're just doing that to make him your temporary slave." Smurfette guessed.

"Yep." Mira laughed.

Smurfette rolled her eyes and led Mira inside. Mira wasn't too fond of the amount of pink in the room, but she kept her mouth shut. The girls walked up to Smurfette's room to chance.

Smurfette twirled around in her white nightgown. When she saw Mira, she gasped. "Oh Mira! Those pajamas are so smurfy!"

Mira smiled and spun around. Her pajama pants were purple with a floral pattern; the cuffs of the pants went halfway down her calves. The shirt was lavender with a floral pattern on the cuts and collar.

"Can I braid your hair?" Smurfette pleaded with big puppy eyes. "It's so beautiful."

Mira giggled and nodded. "Only if I get to braid yours."

Outside, Clumsy tripped again and again as he hurried down the road. He panted, berating himself continuously under his breath. He finally arrived at his destination: Smurfette's house. He took a moment to catch his breath, listening to Smurfette and Mira laughing. He looked up at the light shining through the bedroom window and suddenly got an idea.

"Are you serious?" Mira laughed.

"You should really be here in the spring." Smurfette giggled. "The boys go smurfy over me!"

"Then I can only imagine what they'd do with me around." Mira groaned. They laughed again.

_tap tap tap_

The girls whipped around to the window. Clumsy's sheepish, smiling face peered back.

Smurfette smiled craftily. "I'll go get us some cocoa." She skipped out, leaving Mira and Clumsy alone.

Mira rolled her eyes and opened the window. "Clumsy, how did you get up here?"

"Smurfette was hanging decorations and left the ladder behind." Clumsy shrugged. Mira looked down to see he was right.

"Well, what dost thou wish of me, oh Romeo?" Mira teased.

Clumsy laughed. "I just forgot to give this to you." He lifted his hat to reveal the crown of daisies. He daintily took off the crown, put his hat back on, and graciously held out the crown to Mira. "For you, milady."

"Oh Clumsy." Mira laughed. She took the crown and gently placed it on her head. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"I thought you'd like it." Clumsy said happily.

"I'll never take it off." Mira promised, smiling warmly. "Now I have something for you."

"Really?" Clumsy asked hopefully. "What is it?"

"Close your eyes." Mira said.

"Aw come on!" Clumsy whined playfully. Mira laughed. She leaned out the window towards Clumsy. Clumsy leaned forward too. They met halfway in a soft kiss.

"Goodnight Clumsy." Mira said softly.

"Goodnight Mira." Clumsy chuckled nervously. "Sleep tight." He turned to walk away, unaware that he was still on a ladder. He yelped and tried to regain his balance, but the ladder swayed this way and that. It stood straight up for a few seconds before toppling over with Clumsy still on it.

Mira gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "Are you alright?" she called.

"I'm okay!" Clumsy called, untangling himself from the ladder. He waved as he tripped/limped away.

Mira laughed lightly and turned her eyes upwards to stare at the stars. They shined bright, dotting the sky and adding to the moon's illuminating effect.

Mira took a deep breath of the cool, forest air.

"Hey Mom." Mira whispered. "I'm home."

**A/N: Hey! This is rare; a story with no Author's Notes from me until the last chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this! I watched **_**The Smurfs **_**movie and an idea popped in my head: what would happen if Papa hadn't been saved by Patrick? Of course, he couldn't just die! That would be WAY too sad. And so, it manifested into this. Keep an eye out; my next Smurfs story is soon to come! **


End file.
